West Ham United No2 Steve Clarke says management are delighted with the success of Carlton Cole this season.

On Cole's improvement, Clarke told whufc.com: "I think it's a combination of the change of manager and fresh impetus from the player. I think he is maturing as a player and as a person. Some people mature early and some people a little bit later and I think Carlton is a late maturer.

"His performances this season have been excellent and certainly, when he went out of the side, we missed his presence in the team.

"He has always had the potential. When he was at Chelsea I was his coach in the youth team. I knew his potential but unfortunately for Carlton, it's taken him a little bit longer for him to realise his potential than maybe it should have done, but hopefully he's started the road towards that this season and he'll continue down it next season."

Cole won his first two full England caps earlier this year and Clarke put the striker's case forward to add to that tally when Fabio Capello's side take on Kazakhstan and Andorra in 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in early June.

"He's fully fit. He was out for six weeks with an injury he sustained on international duty. I don't pick the England squad, it's up to Mister Capello to do that. But if he's concerned about his fitness then there is no reason to be concerned because he's fully fit."