Kieran Richardson has no doubts Sunderland teammate Anton Ferdinand will soon play his way into the full England squad.

"I'm sure if Anton keeps progressing and gets some good performances under his belt it will only be a matter of time," Richardson said. "You can see that he has all the attributes to be an England defender.

"He's at a massive club and when you're at a big club, you attract attention from international managers.

"Having Roy Keane as your manager helps, too!"

Richardson added: "I've known Anton since we were nine years old and we used to play alongside each other from the under-10s onwards at West Ham, before I left.

"Anton has always been a close friend of mine off the pitch, too. It is great for Sunderland that he has come here because he is an excellent central defender.

"I'm sure the Sunderland fans will see the best of him here."