Southampton boss Ronald Koeman backs Ryan Bertrand to shine for England

By Steven Toplis, Reporter | 01 October 2015

Southampton boss Ronald Koeman tips Ryan Bertrand to seize his opportunity with England after being called up to the squad for the Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania.

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has stated that Ryan Bertrand will make the most of his England opportunity after being called up to the squad for the forthcoming Euro 2016 qualifiers.

The 26-year-old has been brought into the 24-man party for the games against Estonia and Lithuania next week after Manchester United's Luke Shaw suffered a double leg break against PSV Eindhoven last month.

Bertrand returned to club action by playing in last weekend's win over Swansea City, and Koeman has said that the former Chelsea man performed well.

"Was it a surprise? A little bit because of course it's very fast after the first time playing 90 minutes," the Dutchman told Sky Sports News. "But I was also surprised about the level Ryan was at already last week.

"Maybe a little influence is some injuries to different players in that position but we know if Ryan is back and playing on his level then he's one of the national team. That's good for the player, the confidence of the player and it's good for Southampton.

"Already he's a good player in my opinion because it's always a difficult position. You don't have really very good left full-backs and the qualities of Ryan are important in our way of playing."

Bertrand has won four caps for England since making his debut in 2012.