A DELIGHTED David Thompson today thanked Graeme Souness for rescuing his career as he celebrated his shock call-up to the full England squad.

Thompson fulfilled a boyhood dream when he was drafted in to Sven Goran Eriksson's squad for the first time last night as an emergency replacement for the injured Trevor Sinclair ahead of the forthcoming European qualifiers against Slovakia and Macedonia.

And he was quick to credit Souness for his meteoric rise after the Rovers boss gave him the platform to showcase his precocious talents in the Premiership again after two years in the Nationwide wilderness at Coventry.

"I wouldn't be sat here doing this interview if it wasn't for Graeme Souness," said Thompson.

"Everyone knows this wouldn't have happened if he hadn't have bought me.

"He could easily have given up on me over the summer because with some of the prices Coventry were quoting it would have been easy to say let's go for someone else.

"But he and John Williams stuck in there and managed to get the fee down and I was absolutely over the moon when the deal finally went through becuase it gave me another crack at the Premiership.

"However, it's not just Graeme, it's the whole staff and the players who have made it so easy for me since I came to Blackburn.

"I already feel like I've been here two years because of the way I've just gelled and settled in so I want to say a big thank-you to them as well."

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