The Aston Villa midfielder picks a former team-mate as his England hero.

England Under-21's record cap holder, James Milner, has now made the step up to the senior squad and is looking to make a similar impact at that level.

In November 2002, at just 16 years of age, the winger made his debut for Leeds United then a month later became the youngest ever Premier League scorer (16 years 357 days). And when he moved to Newcastle in 2004 Milner got to fulfill every boy’s dream by playing with one of his heroes, Alan Shearer.

“England have had so many great players, but a couple stand out: Alan Shearer and Paul Gascoigne,” enthuses Milner about two St James’ Park legends.

“Unfortunately I never played with Gazza, but I played with Al though. He’s an unbelievable player and it was great for me to play alongside him and train with him.

“Playing with Al every day was a good experience for someone like me and I learned a lot from him.

“Euro 96 was a very memorable time. That whole team was exciting to watch. Alan finished top scorer but Gazza’s goal against Scotland was one of the highlights. The way he took the ball over the defender’s head and put it away was superb.”