Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has hailed Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as 'absolutely outstanding' and backs him for the Euro 2012 squad.
Toon boss full of praise for young ace he managed at Southampton
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has hailed Arsenal starlet Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as 'absolutely outstanding' and thinks his selection for the Euro 2012 squad should be guaranteed.
Oxlade-Chamberlain broke into senior football under Pardew at Southampton, where the promising winger developed before moving to North London two years later in a deal worth £15million
The two will meet again when Newcastle travel to the Emirates in Monday night's Premier League clash and the Magpies manager is in no doubt of the teenagers' talent.
"For me, he should go with England. He's an absolutely outstanding player," Alan Pardew told
Daily Star.
"I gave him his debut at 16. I don't give many people debuts at that age but he just stood out as one who was going to be an amazing player.
"He's not only going to be a good advert for English football in terms of his ability, but he'll be a great ambassador for the country."
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Pardew dismissed arguments it is too soon for Oxlade-Chamberlain to feature at a major international tournament after Arsenal teammate Theo Walcott's premature inclusion in a Sven-Goran Eriksson England side was considered a mistake.
"Physically, I think he's better developed than Theo Walcott was when he went to the World Cup in 2006," he said.
"Whether he gets enough match time in the next eleven games, Arsene Wenger will decide.
"He didn't have that physical strength when he was at Southampton but now you can see he's a bit bigger."
