West Ham United manager Harry Redknapp praised his young midfielder Michael Carrick after an excellent performance against Charlton on Monday night that he believes cannot have failed to have impressed new England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson who was watching from the stands. The Hammers dominated the game at The Valley after Charlton had taken an early lead but they had to rely on a Paulo di Canio special to earn a point against Alan Curbishley's battling side.
Redknapp singled out Carrick for praise though, saying: “I thought Michael Carrick was outstanding. I think Sven had to be impressed.
“He's a terrific young footballer and he's one of those kids that's improving every day.
“When you look at our midfield they are just three kids and I thought they were fantastic.”
Frank Lampard and Joe Cole are the two players that complete The Hammers' midfield trio and they have also advanced strong claims for an England place after some impressive performances this season.
Eriksson has stressed that he will not limit himself to picking players under the age of thirty, as Peter Taylor did for his one game in charge of the national side against Italy, but he has already admitted his surprise at the amount of talented young players he has seen in English football since his arrival.
The Swede is attending as many games as he can in the run up to England's February friendly with Spain as he looks to get a team ready for the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Finland and Albania in March.
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