Former England boss Terry Venables says Fabio Capello must take Aston Villa striker Emile Heskey to South Africa.

In his column for The Sun, Venables wrote: "Emile Heskey is neither a regular starter nor scorer at Aston Villa, where it is fair to say he will not win Player of the Year.

"But I would put him in my provisional squad for South Africa - and I would not be surprised if Capello does the same.

"That is despite the fact the stats show Heskey has started only 16 of Villa's 37 league games this season and netted just three times.

"But Heskey is a unique case and a novelty.

"He is probably the only England player in contention for a World Cup place despite his club form, not because of it. His previous displays under Capello are the reason he is in with a shout of making history in the southern hemisphere this summer.

"His inferior displays for Villa this term are almost irrelevant."