Sunday 31 January 2016 14:42, UK
West Ham left-back Aaron Cresswell is good enough to play for England, according to former international defender Kenny Sansom.
Cresswell was named Hammer of the Year and Players' Player of the Season after his first campaign at Upton Park, and was rewarded with a new five-year contract less than 12 months after joining from Ipswich Town.
Sansom won 86 caps for England and, like Cresswell, rose through the divisions to play at the top level, and the former Arsenal defender believes the West Ham man has the ability to feature for Roy Hodgson's side.
"I like Aaron Cresswell," said Sansom on Goals on Sunday. "He's a young lad and I think it's up to him as a player. Obviously he has got to play for West Ham but he's got to go out and perform and show people how good he is.
"He's got to do something a little bit different. It was a very close call between me and Derek Statham. It was either me or him and I got the nod which was the manager's choice. But when there's not much difference you've got to do something a bit different and a bit special if you want to upgrade to international football.
"I think Cresswell has got the ability. If he really pushes himself and the manager at West Ham gives him the confidence, he has a really good chance."
Leighton Baines, Kieran Gibbs, Ryan Bertrand and Luke Shaw were all used by Hodgson during England's Euro 2016 qualification campaign, and Sansom believes Baines could get the nod if Shaw fails to recover from his long-term injury before the tournament.
"I think Baines experience-wise [would replace Shaw]," Sansom continued. "I think with his experience he's going to be involved. There's no doubt about it."
Baines' prowess from set-pieces is an added bonus for Hodgson and club manager Roberto Martinez and, while Cresswell has one goal and three assists in 22 Premier League appearances so far this season, Sansom says adding more goals to his game could prove crucial to winning international recognition.
"From a full-back's point of view if you are scoring goals, for an international team that's very important," said Sansom. "Obviously he's got to defend first, but it's an added bonus."
