Emile Heskey has been called into Steve McClaren's squad for England's Euro 2008 double-header with Israel and Russia.

The Wigan striker won the last of his 43 caps against France at Euro 2004 and it was thought his international days were behind him.

However, McClaren saw the 29-year-old in action for the Latics in their defeat at Newcastle yesterday and was impressed enough to make contact with Wigan this morning and request his release.

With his squad woefully short of goalscoring options, especially as Peter Crouch is suspended for Saturday's encounter with Israel, McClaren at least knows Heskey has scored five times at international level, something none of his striking rivals, with the exception of Michael Owen, can claim.

The former Liverpool player has also scored in the league this season, something only Owen has managed out of McClaren's five-strong strikeforce.

With no withdrawals to compensate for Heskey's inclusion there must be a real possibility the Owen-Heskey strike partnership will be revived after a three-year break.

Heskey's inclusion is the fourth time the England coach has dug into the Three Lions' past to bolster his squad.

Former skipper David Beckham was recalled in June, while Portsmouth duo David James and Sol Campbell were among the 26-man squad McClaren originally named for the crucial encounters to come over the next 10 days.

Heskey was called into Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad for games against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan in March 2005 but did not play.

There must be more of a chance of that happening this time.

"Emile is a player with a lot of international experience and has played many times with Michael Owen in the past," said McClaren.

"He has been in good form for Wigan this season. He played very well against Sunderland recently and I saw him play well against Newcastle on Saturday.

"While he has been out of the squad for a few years, I have spoken with (Wigan boss) Chris Hutchings, who has been hugely impressed with him, and I think he deserves to be recalled. We need his experience at this time."

Hutchings has hailed Heskey as "colossal" and believes his recall is fully merited.

"This is not just tremendous personal news for Emile, but it's also fantastic for Wigan as a whole," said Hutchings.

"He is a brilliant professional, one of the best I've worked with.

"He is colossal and I have no doubt he will serve England well if Steve McClaren picks him for either of the games.

"I think it's a thoroughly deserved call-up because he has been playing out of his skin. His team-mates will be as chuffed as I am."