``I like Joe Cole as he is a very talented young player, full of qualities that it is difficult to have in a footballer,'' said Eriksson of the 20-year-old West Ham midfielder.

``He's not yet ready as a footballer but we will see if he can be before the World Cup. It's possible but whether he is picked or not, he should have a very good future.''

He added: ``I don't think we can go to the World Cup with seven or eight under-21 players as we'd just be going there to give them experience.

``You can't beat Sweden, Argentina and Nigeria with a team of under-21 players. Some of them, for sure, will be under-21 players but not half the squad.''