The Sunderland defender has been a regular for England ever since making his debut for the U16s back in October 2008. A classy operator, who is both strong and rugged in the tackle and elegant on the ball, his progress at international level has been rapid and he would have certainly collected more caps if it wasn't for a few unfortunate injuries along the way.
He featured for the U17 team whilst still a year younger than most of his team-mates and it was the same case when he made his debut for the U19s as a second half substitute against Slovakia at Crewe in September 2010.
Also highly-rated on Wearside where his performances at Academy and reserve level have caught the eye.