Mattie Etherington has been hailed as the solution to England's left-sided problem by the man who knows him best.

Barry Fry, who handed the teenage Etherington his professional debut at Peterborough, is convinced the winger is on the verge of breaking into international football.

And the Posh supremo reckons Etherington can achieve his ambitions at West Ham, despite rumoured interest from Premiership clubs.

"I think he can get into the England squad while playing in Division One," said Fry. "We have been crying out for left-sided players and we have been playing all sorts of people in that position.

"I know Mattie loves it at West Ham and wants to stay there and take them back where they belong."

It was Fry who launched Etherington's career by pitching him into second division action at Peterborough when he was a 15-year-old schoolboy.

Famously he had to contact the headmaster of the youngster's school and get permission for him to play a professional game.

Now he believes the 22-year-old Hammer has already shown enough to be worth an international call-up.

"If Mattie was playing regularly in the Premiership he would have got in the England team by now," said Fry.

"He's played at all the age-group levels and the only reason he's not got into the senior team is that he never got a regular game at Spurs.

"I know that Sven rates him very highly and if he continues to play the way he has been playing England will have to give him a chance."

Published Tuesday July 27, 2004

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