Dyer's set to fill Beck's boots

Kieron Dyer is aiming to take full advantage of David Beckham’s suspension-enforced absence for England’s next European Championship qualifier by taking over the skipper’s place in midfield.

Beckham will miss the match against Slovakia at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium on June 11 and Newcastle star Dyer is his obvious replacement.

Dyer, who came off the bench to win the penalty which secured England’s 2-0 win over Turkey, played out of position on the left against Liechtenstein at the weekend and is eager to try his luck on his more natural right side.

He said: “We will have to see who takes David Beckham’s place, it’s a long time away, but of course I would like to be that player.

“It would certainly be better than playing on the left – I would still prefer the middle – but time will tell.

“It was frustrating being on the bench after I was given the nod against Liechtenstein but Turkey’s midfield was their strongest area and the manager wanted a midfield diamond to combat that. You can’t argue when it worked as well as that.”

Dyer was, like all the England players, dumbstruck by Wayne Rooney’s performance on the 17-year-old’s first start for the international side and is hoping the game will have taken something out of him ahead of Newcastle’s visit to Everton on Sunday.

“I’m glad he played nearly 90 minutes because now he might be tired come Sunday,” said Dyer.

“But what an exciting talent. We will have to be on our guard because he’s going to be one hell of a player.

“He was the man of the match and I thought he was absolutely magnificent. Everyone’s been saying what a great player he is and how much potential he has and it was there for all to see.”

Dyer revealed he was somewhat fortunate to win the penalty, conceded by Ergun, as he had made the wrong choice of studs.

He added: “I was just keeping my spirits high, hoping I would get a chance and luckily enough I got the decisive penalty.

“It was funny because I was wearing moulded boots when I should have had studs and I initially slipped. I got the ball back but I was losing my balance again when I felt he tugged me and I got the penalty.

“It was all about team spirit and passion. It just seems when we’ve got our backs against the wall we seem to pull out a big performance.

“In the World Cup, when we drew with Sweden, everyone was on our backs then we went and beat Argentina. I think England always respond in the big games.”