Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has welcomed talk of Jordan Henderson becoming a full England international.
Black Cats boss tips midfielder for Three Lions call-up
Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has welcomed talk of Jordan Henderson becoming a full England international.
Bruce insists he knew he had a star in the making when he saw the 20-year-old in training after arriving at the club as boss last summer.
Fifteen months on, Henderson is being mooted to be included in Fabio Capello's squad for next month's friendly against France after impressing for the Wearsiders and for the Young Lions in the Under-21s set-up.
And the Black Cats chief has been stunned by the rapid progress made by the midfielder.
Asked if he could ever have imagined that call would come so soon for a player who had spent the last five months of the previous season on loan at Coventry, Bruce said: "You would have to say honestly, no.
"But I have to tell you, when I walked through the door, more than any other player, he grabbed me - and he grabbed me within two training sessions. I asked, 'Who's that?'.
"To be fair, I had more conversations when I first got the job about Jordan than any other player. He must have done exceedingly well at Coventry, which we know he did.
"We had half the Championship wanting to take him on loan again, so I had heard a little bit about him.
"I had seen him and been recommended him once by my chief scout saying Sunderland had a hell of a player when he was at Coventry.
"But he grabbed me straight away in the first couple of training sessions and hasn't looked back. He has done fantastically well."
Wonderful
Henderson has forced his way into the international reckoning at Under-21 level, where he scored in the play-off victory over Romania last week to help ease his country into next summer's European Championship finals.
He has since found himself at the centre of speculation that the likes of he and Jack Wilshere could step up to senior level next month, and Bruce would not be surprised if that proved to be the case.
He said: "The London press seem to have got their teeth into something and usually that means they have got a little whisper from somewhere.
"It wouldn't surprise me. Jordan's performance for the Under-21s on Friday night was fantastic.
"We have watched him and seen him develop over the last 15 months and he is going to be a wonderful midfield player.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he was in the squad because he is a very, very talented young player.
"There are not many playing week in, week out in the Premier League like he is, and starring in it.
"He is a kid who, if he can keep his feet on the ground and keep learning, which I am sure he will do, he has got the world at his feet."
Trumpet
In the meantime, Henderson will turn out for his club at Blackburn on Monday evening when he will once again link up with a rejuvenated Steed Malbranque.
The 30-year-old Frenchman has excelled this season since being moved from the wing into a free role behind lone striker Darren Bent, and Bruce has been delighted with his contribution.
He said: "Mentally, he has tuned in to what we want to do and he has worked extremely hard.
"It all boils down to Steed, really. I am not one for blowing my own trumpet and saying, 'We have done this'. Steed himself has done it.
"The thing we need from Steed is, I don't think he has scored in two years, and that's what we need at the moment.
"It's okay playing the system we are playing, but we need then to start chipping in a few goals from [Lee] Cattermole and Henderson and Malbranque and [Danny] Welbeck and [Ahmed] Elmohamady.
"They are all capable of scoring, so we need that to happen."
