Former England defender Russell Osman says Ipswich Town starlet Conor Wickham should be going to the World Cup.

Osman first made the call when commentating on England U17's European Championship final victory over Spain on Sunday.

He later told the Daily Mail: "I wasn't being flippant. It's not bias, either, because I played for Ipswich.

"Of course people will question why (Fabio) Capello would take Wickham to the World Cup but my reply would be, 'Why not?' Sven Goran Eriksson picked Theo Walcott four years ago and he was 17 with even less experience than Wickham.

"If there's one area of the England team where we are possibly a bit short it's up front.

"We have a problem knowing who to play alongside Wayne Rooney and another when it comes to putting the ball in the net.

"Wickham could do it. He's not a boy, he's a 17-year-old man and with his ability allied to his physique I genuinely think he's a one-off.

"He can do the lot. He hit two good left foot shots for his goals in the semi-final and an excellent right-foot drive in the final. He's just as strong as Heskey and has a better eye for goal. And here's the frightening part - he's still growing.

"At the moment he's 6ft 3in tall and weighs 14 stone but from my own experience I reckon he will be 19 before he stops. There were times in Liechtenstein when referees thought he was bullying opponents and gave unfair decisions against him.

"He wasn't actually doing anything wrong; it was just that kids his own age can't cope with him."