Pennant setting sights high

Jermaine Pennant is hoping his £3m (€4.4m) move to Birmingham will eventually gain him international recognition – like team-mate Matthew Upson.

Upson was also plucked from Arsenal’s reserves by Birmingham manager Steve Bruce and has since gone on to earn six England caps.

Bruce said: “I do believe that Jermaine has the ability and potential to become a fully-fledged international.

“He now has to do what Matt Upson did when he too came to us from Arsenal.

“Matt came out of a very big club and has benefited from playing week in and week out.

“The result, in my mind, is that he has become the best left-sided central defender in England.

“This is the sort of progress Jermaine has to make in the future if he is to enjoy similar success.

“We certainly saw his potential at Everton last Saturday when he was the best player on the pitch.

“It is not often that you see a team take off a left-back as experienced as (Allesandro) Pistone, who was given such a merry dance by Pennant.”