Shilton backs Foster for England

Peter Shilton
11 May 2012

England record caps holder Peter Shilton believes Joe Hart can establish himself as number one for years to come - but urged Ben Foster to come back from his self-imposed international exile and step up the competition.

It remains to be seen what will be the make-up of the squad for the finals when new boss Roy Hodgson unveils his selection, as Bursaspor's Scott Carson and West Ham keeper Robert Green are expected to offer back-up to Hart for Poland and the Ukraine. But Shilton would love to see West Brom's on-loan stopper Foster make himself available again.

The 29-year-old took a break from international action in May 2011, and Shilton, who won 125 caps between 1970 and 1990, said: "I would like to see Foster come back in and put some pressure on."

Manchester City stopper Hart, 25, is the man currently in possession of the England gloves, having impressed during the European Championship qualifying campaign under Fabio Capello.

And Shilton, who took part in the filming of Carlsberg's new England Fan Academy television commercial, added: "Joe Hart could win a lot of caps for England. You need a bit of luck through injuries, but he is in at an early age and there is not a lot pushing him at the moment.

"Unless Foster comes back, you never can tell, certainly he could be there for a while.

"Hart has done really well to get there, and I still think Rob Green deserves to be part of the set-up because he obviously had the one big misfortune [in the World Cup against USA], but you can't judge him on one game."

Shilton has been impressed with the form of the Manchester City keeper, who could win a championship medal on Sunday.

"Joe has shown a lot of confidence and has got a lot of ability," said Shilton. "I still think he has got a few rough edges he needs to work on, but he has done really well.

"He is England's number one and could be there for years, but I think also there are still things that could make him better. Hopefully he will play a really big part in making us do really well in these championships."

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