Milner happy to be Capello´s jack of all trades

England winger James Milner hopes his versatility will convince Fabio Capello to take him to next year’s World Cup.

Milner has a chance to impress Capello on Saturday when England face Brazil in a glamour friendly in Doha and the Aston Villa star will be happy to feature against the South Americans in any number of positions.

Although he has been mostly used by Villa boss Martin O’Neill on the right-wing, Milner has often switched to the left flank during matches and can also play up front.

He was even used by Capello as a left-back when he came on as a substitute in last month’s victory over Belarus at Wembley.

The 23-year-old, who made his England debut in the 2-2 draw against Holland in August, said: “It might help (being versatile). There is a lot of competition for places, a lot of quality players. Any little thing that helps you is obviously a good thing.

“There is a lot of quality in every position and, when you get into tournament football, you are going to have injuries and suspensions so that might help and, if it helps, then great.

“When I was growing up, I always seemed to play on the right or centre-midfield. I played upfront a bit at Leeds and it is about learning as you go.”

With Theo Walcott, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Aaron Lennon, Ashley Young, David Beckham and Joe Cole all competing for spots on the wings, Milner knows it will boost his chances of making the plane to South Africa if Capello believes he can contribute in other roles.

With that in mind, Milner is happy to be a jack of all trades for Capello.

“It depends how you look at being moved into a position,” he said. “You can sulk and say you are not going to really enjoy it and things like that or you can learn that position to the best of your ability.

“If you do that, and learn what you can, it should make you a better and more rounded player and help you understand the game a bit more.”

Milner would relish the opportunity to face Brazil after coming off the bench in the previous five internationals and believes it is important England become used to facing all types of opposition.

“You want to play against the best teams and the best players and Brazil is one of them. You watch them as a kid and always dream of playing for England versus Brazil,” he said.

“It is an important preparation fixture for the World Cup. It is different opposition, South American, and will give you a different type of challenge, a different type of style to combat.

“It is about making sure we are comfortable against different styles and so we are confident going into the World Cup knowing we are as well prepared as we can.

“For me, it is all part of the learning curve. I’ve been involved in England youth set-ups against African nations and South American teams and that is a big plus for if you face the same sort of opposition further up the scale.”