Eriksson to give Rooney a run

Everton sensation Wayne Rooney is set to become the youngest ever England player after being included in a 27-man England squad…

Everton sensation Wayne Rooney is set to become the youngest ever England player after being included in a 27-man England squad to face Australia in Wednesday's friendly at Upton Park.

Presuming he is fit, Rooney will become the youngest ever England player after manager Sven-Goran Eriksson indicated that he intended to play the 17-year-old for at least part of the match.

"If I was Wayne Rooney, I should be delighted as it should be one of the biggest things in his career," Eriksson said after unveiling a squad that includes seven new names.

"I'm sure he'll respond like that. He's only 17 but Pele was 17 when he won the World Cup in 1958 in Sweden and he scored twice in the final.

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"Maybe it was stupid of me to compare him to Pele though. That's not good for anyone. To be a Pele is extremely difficult.

"I saw him come on for 25 minutes in one game but, talking to his manager and a lot of people who know him better than I do, he has great quality, is physically very strong and makes things happen," he added.

"Everyone that I've talked to says he's a special talent, so why not look at him in a friendly game if I have chosen to pick a young squad?"

Rooney's boss at Everton, David Moyes, has been anxious to protect his player from the frenzied media attention which has accompanied his explosive emergence this season.

"If he is good enough, and I believe he is good enough, then I believe he should play," Moyes said.

But he cautioned: "People should not get too excited about him and put too much pressure on him. Just accept that he is a 17-year-old and think that when he is 24 or 25 he might be a decent player."

The youngest England player to date is James Prinsep, who was 17 and 253 days when he played against Scotland in 1879. Current England star Michael Owen was first capped 59 days after his 18th birthday.

Rooney, who has started just nine games for the Goodison Park side, burst on to the scene when he blasted a 25-yard last-minute winner past Arsenal 'keeper David Seaman back in October.

The Everton teenager was part of a large group of new faces in the England squad that is headed by Southampton's free-scoring striker James Beattie.

Fulham midfielder Sean Davies, Charlton duo Paul Konchesky and Scott Parker, Newcastle's Jermaine Jenas, Birmingham defender Matthew Upson and Arsenal's Francis Jeffers all winning their first call-ups.

Eriksson revealed that he plans to start the match with his strongest team before switching to an under-26 line-up for the second half in recognition of requests for clubs not to take any risks with the fitness of their star players.

Beattie's call-up is reward for the 16 goals he has scored in the Premier League this season.

Jeffers was an unexpected inclusion as he is not even a regular in the Arsenal side but he has benefitted from the withdrawal of both Emile Heskey, who injured his knee playing for Liverpool on Saturday, and Leeds' Alan Smith, who is unavailable because of a virus.

Parker's midfield battling and Konchesky's defending have been instrumental in guiding Charlton, arguably the smallest club in the Premiership, to within sight of a place in Europe, confounding expectations they would be involved in the relegation battle.

England squad v Australia, February 12

Goalkeepers

David James (West Ham), Richard Wright (Everton), Paul Robinson (Leeds Utd)

Defenders: Sol Campbell (Arsenal), Ashley Cole (Arsenal), Matthew Upson (Birmingham), Paul Konchesky (Charlton), Danny Mills (Leeds Utd), Wes Brown (Man Utd), Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd), Gary Neville (Man Utd), Ledley King (Tottenham)

Midfield: Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich/Ger), Scott Parker (Charlton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Sean Davis (Fulham), Danny Murphy (Liverpool), David Beckham (Man Utd), Paul Scholes (Man Utd), Kieron Dyer (Newcastle), Joe Cole (West Ham)

Forwards: Francis Jeffers (Arsenal), Darius Vassell (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Everton), Michael Owen (Liverpool), Jermaine Jenas (Newcastle Utd), James Beattie (Southampton)