Hughes tips Bentley for England team

And Hughes feels that a starting place in the England side is within Bentley's grasp.

"He needs to keep playing well," Hughes said.

"The important thing from David's point of view is that he's involved in the competitive games, which are a long way away so he's going to have sustain his form for a long time.

"But he has the capability to do that.

Hughes saw at first hand how disappointed Bentley was by England's exit.

"There were a lot of guys who came back from the internationals disappointed their countries hadn't qualified and, obviously, David was frustrated because he was desperate to play but wasn't involved and had to sit back and watch things unfold before him," said Hughes.

"There was a great picture of him and the England bench in one of the papers.

"Everyone was a little bit down but you could see David at the back, showing his emotions and his real enthusiasm for the game.

"That showed how important the England team is to him and he's desperate to be part of it going forward, so he has to keep playing well.

"If he does that, not only will he be a squad member, he'll be first choice.

"I think he's got great belief in his own ability, and rightly so.

"He's been a Premier League player, at a good Premier League club, for a couple of seasons now, so there's no reason why, if he sustains his form, he can't force his way into the side on merit."

"The level of his performances in the last 12 to 18 months have enabled him to get in the squad, so the next step obviously is to continue to play exceptionally well for us and that will get him into the England team.

"You saw that quality from set-pieces today. He hasn't had that many opportunities, to be honest.

"When Morten is playing, we feel that his ability at set-plays is exceptional as well, so David only has a few opportunities when the ball is in a certain position in and around the penalty area.

"But it was a great strike and he's always had that capability."