Baines backs Taylor

Leighton Baines has come out in support of England under-21 manager Peter Taylor, saying he hopes he will remain in charge of the side for the European Championships next summer.

Eurosport

Image credit: TNT Sports

The Wigan defender blasted home a 25 yard-drive to give England a 1-0 aggregate lead over Germany in the playoff on Friday night, and afterwards paid tribute to Taylor, who combines the role with his work as manager at Crystal Palace.

"He's got to take a massive amount of credit, the players really, really enjoy working with him," said Baines. "His record at this level speaks for itself and the lads have got a lot time for him because he treats us with respect."

But Taylor's time in charge of the side looks to be coming to an end, with England coach Steve McClaren keen to replace Taylor with a full-time manager,

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"He's got commitments with his club, so whatever he does we'll respect - the lads would love him to stay but unfortunately that might not be the case." Baines added.

"He's given a few players a chance, and you look at the example those players set week-in week-out and hope that one day you can match their achievements, that's still a way from me for a while but there are people in the squad who can achieve those heights."

England defend their 1-0 lead at the BayArena in Leverkusen on Tuesday.

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