England defender Rio Ferdinand praised the recalled Emile Heskey for his outstanding performance in Saturday's 3-0 win over Israel in their Euro 2008 Group E qualifier.
Ferdinand, who said last week he would "have to go underground" if England failed to make the finals next year because he could not stand the ridicule he would face from his Scottish boss Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, was far more optimistic after the game.
Although Shaun Wright-Phillips was the official man of the match, Heskey was given a standing ovation when he was substituted after 70 minutes. "It was a really good team performance and I think we can build on that for the Russia game on Wednesday. For me, Emile was a huge plus and proved what a handful he can be for defenders," Ferdinand told reporters.
"I lost count of the number of chances he created and I was pleased for him because he has been out in the wilderness for a long time. But he you could see what a talented and effective player he can be today."
Heskey, who had last played for England during Euro 2004, partnered Michael Owen in attack. Although he failed to score, he proved the perfect foil for Owen whose goal after 49 minutes was the highlight of the match.
England were never seriously troubled by a poor Israeli side and after Shaun Wright-Phillips gave England the lead after 20 minutes, the outcome was never in doubt.
Owen's goal sealed the victory and Micah Richards third after 66 minutes gave the game a scoreline that went some way to reflect England's dominance.
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