DEAN Richards reckons Michael Ricketts must prove his scoring talents in a second Premiership season before he gets the England call.

"That's the shout," the £8 million Spurs defender said, acknowledging the clamour for Sven Goran Eriksson to give the Wanderers' goal star a chance to prove himeself at international level, "but I think Michael's biggest test will come next season. That's going to be the difficult time for him."

Ricketts and Richards went head to head in front of the watching Eriksson in last night's FA Cup tie at White Hart Lane, where Spurs ran out 4-0 winners while the Reebok's 15-goal top scorer was substituted with almost half an hour still to play, having failed to get a single scoring chance.

But the former Southampton centre-back still has a high regard for the Bolton man and believes he can be a key to Wanderers' surviving in the Premiership.

"They've got great spirit and that counts for a lot," he said, "I've been down there with Southampton and I know spirit counts for a lot."