FORMER Burnley captain Martin Dobson has told Jay Rodriguez his Under 21s omission doesn’t need to be the end of his England dream.

The Clarets star has not been named among the four strikers Stuart Pearce will take to the European Championships next month, despite making a late bid after an impressive season.

However, Dobson believes Rodriguez is capable of pushing for a senior international cap, just like he did in the mid-1970s.

“He’s a young boy who’s made magnificent progress in his career which we are all delighted with,” said Dobson, who was capped five times by England.

“But the fans and certainly everybody connected with the football club would like to think he has just started his career and there is a lot more to come from Jay.

“It’s possible that he could push on next season and be on the fringes of the England first team.

“If he manages to do that he won’t look back on this Under 21 squad with regret.”

After making his Under 21 debut in a friendly with Italy in February, Rodriguez was named in the provisional 40-man squad for this summer’s tournament in Denmark.

Former team-mate Nathan Delfouneso, who spent the last two months of the season on loan at Burnley from Aston Villa, has made the cut, along with Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge and Manchester United’s Danny Welbeck, who impressed on loan at Bolton and Sunderland, and Ipswich Town youngster Connor Wickham.

Although Rodriguez scored the most goals, ending the season with 15, Dobson believes there is no shame in missing out to the quartet.

“All the strikers will have been watched by the England scouts and perhaps they are the ones who fit best into the system they want to play,” he said.

“At international level if you play well you tend to keep your place.

“From everybody’s perspective Jay deserves to be there. His performances have been outstanding all season.

“But he is a level-headed lad and I’m sure he won’t get too down about this.

“He’s had a fantastic season, he’s scored some marvellous goals and his performances have been terrific.

“To get international recognition has been a real bonus for him and I’m sure he can push on.”