GRAEME Souness has made some shrewd additions during his time as Blackburn manager.

Brad Friedel's recruitment from Liverpool on a free, Henning Berg's return from Manchester United in a cut-price £1.75 swoop, and the club record purchase of Andy Cole from Old Trafford last season instantly trip off the tongue whenever anyone dares to challenge Souness's record in the transfer market.

However, his bargain move for David Thompson could yet turn out to be the best of the lot, judging by the impact the former Liverpool star has made during his short time at Ewood so far.

Souness spent most of the summer in pursuit of the 25-year-old after identifying him as the man to bring some extra craft and guile to a midfield department already overloaded with attacking talent.

And his patience was finally rewarded when Coventry finally agreed to sanction his £1.5 million sale just days before the transfer deadline.

However, what has happened to the chirpy scouser's career since then must have taken even Souness by surprise.

The Rovers boss always knew he was signing a class act after his contacts on Merseyside had informed him that Gerard Houllier made a big mistake in letting him leave Anfield in the first place.

But even he has been taken aback by how quickly Thompson has adjusted to life at Ewood where he has been an absolute revelation in his seven games so far, culminating in an England call-up as a replacement for the injured Trevor Sinclair yesterday.

"I'm delighted for him. This is great news for the lad," said Souness.

"If you were to ask any of our supporters who have seen him over the last few weeks then I'm sure they would say he deserves it.

"I know this is only the start for him but I think he will become a regular member of the squad once he gets his feet firmly under the table here.

"Obviously, I don't want to get too carried away by all the hype his call-up will inevitably create but he's going to be a big hit at international level, I'm already convinced of that."

Souness raised an odd eyebrow among the football fraternity when he became the first man to champion Thompson's England cause following his man-of-the-match performance against Leeds last month.

Surely, a man who has spent the last two seasons plying his trade in the First Division cannot walk straight into the full international squad?

But England boss Sven Goran Eriksson was in the Ewood crowd that particular day and he clearly left the ground with a similar opinion germinating at the back of his mind.

Since then, Thompson has continued to keep his name at the forefront of Eriksson's thinking with some impressive performances in Rovers' engine room.

His stunning goal in last week's UEFA Cup first round second leg in Bulgaria provided yet another reminder of his precocious talents.

And a certain Swede in Soho must have sat up and taken notice because when Sinclair was forced to withdraw, he was straight on the phone to Rovers' man of the moment.

So exactly what will Thompson bring to the England set-up now that he has been given his big chance to prove he has an international future?

"Without being critical of anyone else who's already in the England squad, I think Tommo's right up there with anyone you'd care to mention," said Souness, matter-of-factly.

"He's a big hit in the dressing room and, when it comes to matters on the pitch, he's more than good enough in terms of ability.

"He can do a job on the left, on the right, or in the centre of midfield.

"I certainly won't be afraid to use him either wide or centrally but in the long term I think he'll end up playing in the middle for us.

"That's where I see at his most influential."

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