Chelsea management thrilled with Mancienne progress

Chelsea reserves boss Brendan Rodgers says they're *****-a-hoop over Michael Mancienne's elevation to the full England squad.

"I spoke to him when he was out there in Germany and he obviously loved it and enjoyed the experience. It's a great achievement for anyone to do that, but to do that having not played in the Premier League shows it's only a matter of time," Rodgers told chelseafc.com.

"He is a wonderful talent and has demonstrated what a good player he is in the last few months. I am sure we will see a lot more of him in the future."

He added: "There are very few players in the world that get a position named after them. How I think the game will go in the next 10 to 15 years is that centre-backs won't necessarily be as big but will certainly need to be a bit more comfortable on the ball and quicker, like Michael.

"Chelsea, at this level have top class defenders and I think he can make that number two role his own, much like Ricardo Carvalho now."