Three Lions boss backs Manchester United wonderkid to reach the top.
England manager Roy Hodgson believes that new Manchester United signing Luke Shaw is “an Ashley Cole in the making”.
Shaw, 18, joined United from Southampton on Friday for a fee in the region of £30m, making him the most expensive teenage footballer in the world.
The Kingston-born star was the youngest player at this summer’s FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he made his fourth senior international appearance in England’s 0-0 draw with Costa Rica.
Shaw was selected ahead of Cole in Hodgson’s 23-man squad for the tournament.
Cole, 33, subsequently retired from international football, after winning 107 senior caps.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea star Cole, who is currently a free agent, was widely considered to be one of the best left-backs in the world for many years.
Hodgson thinks that Shaw can be just as good as Cole was at his peak.
“I really do think Luke has got tremendous quality,” Hodgson told the FA website. “I think he’s really an Ashley Cole in the making.”
He added: “I think the experience will do him good. Also, I think he will be a very useful player for us in games where we can use the enormous power he has going forward.
“We agonised over those positions, especially in the case of Luke because it involved Ashley Cole, who all of us love to bits and think is a great footballer.”
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