KEVIN Nolan may not have to wait long for an England U-21 call.

FA form checker Dave Sexton has been running the rule over the 19-year-old Wanderer and Sam Allardyce says it is only a matter of time before his abilities are recognised.

"He will get there eventually," the Reebok boss predicted. "There are a lot of talented youngsters in the Under 21s and it's difficult to break into that squad at the moment.

"But I know Dave Sexton has been here on a few occasions and they are well aware of what Kevin's achieved. They will call him up ... but he's got a year or two to go yet."

Nolan, who won England honours at U-18 level and whose meteoric rise through the ranks has earned him the accolade "PFA Academy Scholar of the Year", insists the only white shirt he is interested in at the moment is the one he has made his own in the Bolton midfield.

"I'm finding it very hard but I'm coping with it quite well," he says modestly after going head to head with the likes of Paul Ince, Gary McAllister, David Batty and Patrick Vieira.

"It's a lot quicker than the First Division. You get a lot more time on the ball but mentally it's more demanding."

Nolan is still refreshingly starry-eyed about playing in the Premiership but is down to earth when it comes to his immediate ambitions for Wanderers and is unfazed by criticism of the way Wanderers have gathered their 12 Premiership points.

After David O'Leary dropped a few acid comments about the way his star-studded Leeds were frustrated in the scoreless draw at Elland Road, Arsene Wenger was similarly sour in his assessment of Wanderers' prospects after last week's 1-1 draw at Highbury. The Arsenal boss suggested they would struggle at home to lesser teams if they continued to claim only 35 per cent of possession.

"We take criticism more as a motivation," Nolan says. "We're upsetting them. He (Wenger) was upset because he didn't get three points against us and David (O'Leary) can say what he wants. We went there to do a job and hopefully, at the end of the season, that point we got will be important.

"I can't describe in words how enjoyable it's been for me ... the two goals I scored in the first game and playing week in, week out against the best teams and the best players.

"We've got a long, long way to go though. I just hope the rest of the games will be as good for us as the first seven."

The powerful youngster, determined to help Wanderers survive in the Premiership, cast an envious glance at tomorrow's opponents, who have finished seventh in successive seasons since winning promotion from Division One.

"Sunderland have done exactly what we want to do," he said. "They've stayed in the Premiership.

"And they've done it successfully ... 17th place will do me." Whites' Premier preview