Steve Coppell is convinced that Dave Kitson has the ability to be a success at international level.
Royals boss urges Capello to take a chance on striker
Reading manager Steve Coppell is convinced that Dave Kitson has the ability to be a success at international level.
The striker has eight Premier League goals to his name so far this season and has been tipped to be a potential surprise inclusion in Fabio Capello's first England squad, which is named on Saturday.
Coppell signed Kitson for just £150,000 from Cambridge in 2003 and feels that the player now has a game which would be ideally suited to playing at a higher level.
Combinations
"Kits would give any team something that other combinations wouldn't," he said.
"He is good in the air, can use his left and right foot and has decent pace and knowledge of the game.
"He has got a spark - he is different. He is a target man yet he is subtle.
"The bigger men now have skills on the floor, it is not just about being a head on a stick. From a skill point of view he could play at any level, no problem."
Clean slate
Coppell also feels that players like Kitson will have more of a chance of making the squad now that Capello is in charge as the Italian has not seen many of the players available to him play before.
"It is one of the pluses of Capello that he had no preconceived ideas about any teams outside the top four," Coppell said.
"He has no history of watching English games, he would probably have watched the European ones, that's all.
"So he has come and seen a player who has struck a chord with him. One can only assume he has been impressed by Kits and rightfully so."
