PETER Crouch is being hotly tipped for a rapid return to international action – and become the first Stoke City player to pull on an England shirt in 27 years.
City defender Jonathan Woodgate reckons the 30-year-old striker should be back in England's colours well before next summer's Euro 2012 finals.
Crouch is out of the current England set-up after being cold-shouldered by manager Fabio Capello at the end of last season.
But Woodgate, Crouch's team-mate at Tottenham for the past two seasons, is adamant that the sky-scraping striker will be playing at the highest level again to become the first Stoke player since Mark Chamberlain in 1984 to play for England.
"He's only been left out of one squad, so it's not about what happens to him in the future, but what happens to him now. He'll probably be in the next squad."
Woodgate is certain Stoke have invested well after splashing out a club record £10m - which could rise to £12m – for his old-team-mate on Wednesday's deadline day.
But he played down his own part in the transfer after Crouch claimed he was ringing him every hour for two days to convince him to make the switch to the Britannia Stadium.
"No, I just spoke to him and said how good it was here and that he would be welcome," said Woodgate, who joined City earlier in the summer.
"Peter's a top player – and you want good players to improve your squad. He can only enhance us.
"You're getting an England international whose played at the top level and in the Champions League.
"His international goalscoring (22 in 42 appearances) speaks for itself. And he's played for top teams throughout his career.
"Everybody knows he's top-notch in the air, but he's also great on the floor and a good hold-up player.
"He's a target man with great ability."
He says the deadline-day arrivals of Crouch and Birmingham City striker Cameron Jerome have given Stoke a strong four-man stable of forwards alongside Kenwyne Jones and Jon Walters.
"It's about the four forwards we've got in the squad," said Woodgate.
"There is a competition for places and it's up to the manager who plays.
"It's getting really good now (in attack) and it's really good how the club has come on so much in the last three years."
He added: "Crouchy's also a genuinely nice lad. There's no airs or graces. There isn't a big-time bone in his body.
"He'll fit right in here because there is a really good team spirit."
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