Eriksson wants Seaman to carry on

Matt Hughes13 April 2012

Sven-Goran Eriksson wants David Seaman to keep playing for England until the 2004 European Championships.

The Arsenal goalkeeper will make a decision on his international future after the World Cup but his outstanding form in the Far East has convinced Eriksson he still has a big role to play for England.

Eriksson said: "I think Seaman still has a big desire. He's very precise in his work, how to eat and how to live and so on. There's no problem with his age at the moment.

"He's still very fit, still very quick and you could sell his experience, he has so much. His hunger is still there and he loves playing for England."

Seaman was tipped to retire after injuries and misjudgements marred his performance at Euro 2000, but is now in the form of his life and has been rated the World Cup's top goalkeeper by statisticians Opta.

The 38-year-old has been offered a new one-year deal at Highbury, but Eriksson is not going to pressure him to carry on playing. He said: "I shouldn't make that decision. If he plays regularly for Arsenal that's it, if he doesn't then it's different.

"I'm not sure if he'll be playing in the next World Cup - four years is a long way off - but in two years who knows. I think it's very much up to him and Arsene Wenger.

"It happens in football and all other sports that one day you're not prepared any more to live the life you live. You don't want to have a particular diet, always take care of your weight and do all the training. But I can't see any signs of that with Seaman.

"We've had a very good defence in this World Cup and that starts with the goalkeeper, then the defenders but also the team. Seaman gives the players around him the confidence to perform." Meanwhile, Rio Ferdinand has revealed he would like to name his future son after Brazilian legend Romario.

Ferdinand said: "I am thinking of naming my first child after Romario because it is a different name, because he was a legend in football and also because it includes my name 'Rio' at the end. That is my plan at the moment.

"I don't want to have a boring, normal name for my kids when I eventually have them.

"I used to watch Romario when he was playing at PSV Eindhoven and he was a magnificent footballer, a great goalscorer and one who will be remembered as one of the very best in the game."

Ferdinand has been one of the best players of this World Cup. He said: "When you are a kid, you watch World Cups and the team to beat is always Brazil. They always had the best players and the ones you wanted to watch."

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