England assistant Stuart Pearce is of firm belief that Manchester City winger Adam Johnson can go on to big things.

The 22-year old former Middlesbrough man has come in leaps and bounds since his Premier League switch and could be England's surprise packet at next month's World Cup.

Pearce said he was looking for Johnson to make an impact and likened him to a young Ryan Giggs.

"He is probably a Ryan Giggs of his time. You watch him running at people, jinking in and out," Pearce said.

"I saw some footage of the West Ham game and he was unfortunate not to get a penalty when he went past three players. It reminded me of Ryan Giggs 20 years ago when he first started the game. He has something unique about him. Johnno is not the completed article but he is an improving player and that is a fantastic thing to be.

"Is he ready? If you cast your memory back 20 years to Paul Gascoigne, who knew whether he was ready or not? The one thing Paul had in those days was a manager that believed in him. Now all the players that have got the opportunity know full well that Fabio has done his homework on them and if he believes in you, gives you a shirt and picks you for England, that in itself would be a fantastic lift for any player."