Downing made to wait by Eriksson

Stewart Downing's fantastic form for Middlesbrough has not been enough to convince Sven Goran Eriksson that he can fill England's left-sided hole just yet.

The Boro winger has been named in the Under-21s for next Tuesday's friendly in Spain, therefore missing out on the senior squad's international in Madrid on Wednesday.

Carlton Cole, the striker on loan at Aston Villa from Chelsea, has also been made to wait despite some fine displays with the Under-21s this season in their Euro qualifiers against Austria and Poland. He, like Downing, will have to continue his development under Peter Taylor. The England Under-21 coach has called up three new caps in the Crystal Palace duo of Wayne Routledge and Ben Watson plus Boro's goalkeeper Ross Turnbull, who is on loan at Barnsley.