King scored in the first minute of the second half and after the match Eriksson was full of praise for the 23-year-old: "Ledley King showed he is ready. It was an excellent performance, with no nerves at all.

"He showed he is ready for the big matches. It was very good to play like that in Portugal. I was also pleased with Nicky Butt and Alan Smith."

"He came into the squad very late and I couldn't have expected a performance like that - with a goal as well."

King's goal was equalised by Pauleta's excellent free-kick, but for Eriksson the match was still a valuable exercise ahead of this summer's Championship.

"We haven't played for three months and it's very good to come together.

"Nicky Butt showed that even though he hasn't played very much he is match fit and David Beckham showed he can play on the right and in the middle."