New England U21 coach Brian Eastick insists they're not ignoring Northeast talent.

Fabio Capello made a single visit to the region during his entire time in charge of the senior side, a development that drew criticism from the likes of Alan Pardew.

"I can't speak for Fabio but I can understand where the North East supporters are coming from," Eastick told the Sunday Sun.

"In fairness to Fabio he picked up the three big North East clubs when they went to London or to the Midlands but I accept the point that might not be seeing those teams at their best.

"For myself and (interim England manager) Stuart Pearce one of the most important roles is getting into clubs and monitoring every young player, which includes the North East.

"I know the region very well, as does Stuart. I came up last year and met Alan Pardew and Steve Bruce for the day and I know Tony Mowbray very well. One of our roles is communication between the clubs and the England set-up and that is going on continually."