Capello all praise for Andy Carroll

Capello all praise for striker who scored his first goal for England in 1-1 drawagainst Ghana

Capello all praise for Andy Carroll

Capello all praise for striker who scored his first goal for Englandu00a0in 1-1 drawagainst Ghana

England's Andy Carroll scores during the international friendly match against Ghana in London on Tuesday night. PIC/Getty Images

The ufffd35million striker's first-half strike looked like earning England a Wembley victory last night until Sunderland's Asamoah Gyan levelled for Ghana in stoppage time. It was a fitting conclusion to an evening of immense promise for England, with Capello delighted by Liverpool frontman Carroll's contribution on his second senior international appearance.

Carroll has only recently returned to club duty after a thigh injury. "It is important for the strikers to score goals," Capello said. "He was the same player tonight that I saw before he got injured."

"He ran a lot but he needs games. He is a big person, so it is impossible for him to recover quickly, like Jack Wilshere or Aaron Lennon."

Carroll's was just one of a number of pleasing performances that kept the crowd entertained. Stewart Downing and Ashley Young also turned in outstanding displays, leaving Capello pleased. "I am really happy because I saw a fantastic game," the England boss said.

"It was not a friendly game. Every tackle was a fight. The players did very well and the new players did very well. It is interesting for me to know the value of the players when they have a match at Wembley."

The crowd also got to see Danny Welbeck, who was introduced for his debut to huge boos from the vast visiting contingent after he snubbed the opportunity to play for Ghana, the birthplace of his parents.

However, Capello has denied handing Welbeck his debut just to keep him out of Ghana's clutches. "Absolutely not," said Capello, when asked whether he was merely blocking Ghana from picking Welbeck in the future. "I work for England. I always select the best players for England.

"Yesterday, Aaron Lennon was injured. That is why I picked Welbeck."

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