Gerrard given England boost

The 22-year-old suffered a drastic loss of form earlier in the season - though he is now back to his very best - but Eriksson has made it clear that Gerrard, along with David Beckham and Paul Scholes, will always be picked for the national side.

Eriksson said:"If you talk about the base of the England team, then you're talking about people like Beckham, Scholes and Gerrard. Even if they are not doing always exceptionally well for their clubs, I'll pick them."