Stewart Downing is confident Aston Villa teammate James Milner will make Fabio Capello's England squad.

Downing, 25, is expected to be back in full training himself in the next few weeks after an ankle injury which has left him sidelined for more than five months.

He said: "James was put on in the last qualifier against Belarus because Ashley Cole was struggling a bit. It was an attacking game anyway so it suited "Millie" even at full-back and I thought he played really well and he might have scored at the death.

"It was a good result and great to see the lads qualify.

"Capello likes players like James who have the ability but who also work hard. Capello doesn't like lazy players."