Eriksson: Cole is class

Sven-Goran Eriksson believes Ashley Cole has matured into a “world-class” defender as he hailed the full-back’s rapid improvement at international level.

Cole himself admitted only last season that he had yet to repeat his excellent club form for his country, claiming he still had everything to prove.

However, the 23-year-old left-back seemed to come of age during the European Championships, with an excellent display in the quarter-final defeat by Portugal.

He is now an automatic selection for his country, with 34 caps already, and he was rarely troubled by Craig Bellamy during Saturday’s 2-0 victory against Wales at Old Trafford.

Eriksson declared: “If he is the player who has made the most progress since I took over, I don’t know. But Ashley Cole is today world class, absolutely top class.

“He defends well, his pace is incredible and he also has stamina. He goes up and down like a train, can make good crosses and can also go inside as well.”