Steve Wigley has attempted to quell growing talk of a club v country row involving the England U21 side.
Pearce's assistant insists clubs are always consulted
Steve Wigley has attempted to quell growing talk of unrest between England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce and two Premier League clubs.
Pearce has stated he plans to name his strongest possible squad for the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark this summer.
That has led to suggestions that the Young Lions could provoke the ire of Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish by calling on Jack Wilshere and Andy Carroll.
The talented duo have now made the step up to Fabio Capello's senior squad and are also integral members for their respective clubs.
But Pearce's assistant Wigley insists that there is an ongoing discussion between clubs and country and that the national team will always listen to the viewpoint of the players' employers.
Dialogue
"Stuart and Fabio are always speaking to the clubs," Wigley said. "Stuart was in dialogue with all the clubs in advance of this meet up and there is a constant dialogue.
"At any stage we all take into account the club position.
"They [Wilshere and Carroll] have both featured in the campaign that has got us here, they are good players."
Questions about Carroll and Wilshere first arose after they were included in a squad meeting, but Wigley insisted they were simply part of a gathering of all of the talent available to Pearce come the summer.
"We had a squad of 35 lads together the other day, including the players who have been injured," he added. "When you see the strength of that group we have got some great players."
Work in progress
England reached the semi-finals of the tournament in 2007 and lost 4-0 to Germany in the final two years ago. They are currently the top ranked squad in Europe according to Uefa.
A 4-0 victory over Denmark, the hosts of the upcoming championship, confirms their status as favourites, but Wigley, speaking at a Tesco Skills Session at the headquarters of the Lancashire FA, believes there is still room for improvement.
"We're starting to get a picture of where we are at," he said. "I would describe it [the win against Denmark] as a work in progress.
"We were never going to lose the game at any time I felt, but we can play better and since we've qualified the squad has been very fragmented, which you expect to happen because some players needed rest."
