Joe Cole

Former England manager Glenn Hoddle believes current boss Roy Hodgson could have benefitted from Joe Cole's international experience at the European Championships.

Cole, 30, made his last appearance for England as a substitute in the 4-1 quarter-final loss to Germany at the 2010 World Cup but was overlooked by the new England manager despite injuries to Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry.

Nevertheless, Hoddle insists the Liverpool midfielder remains one of England's greatest talents and his international experience could have proved beneficial to Hodgson's young squad.

"Joe has done very well for England sometimes when he was playing in the World Cups; he would play better for England than he would for his club," Hoddle told Yahoo! Sport. "And I would have taken that into consideration without a shadow of a doubt, I don't know if Roy did."

Cole's career appeared to have swerved off course since he made a free transfer to Liverpool in the summer of 2010. The midfielder made 56 appearances for England since making his international debut in 2001 but laboured on the fringes of Fabio Capello's squad at the World Cup in South Africa and struggled to hold down a place in the first-XI at Anfield.

But the former Chelsea and West Ham midfielder has been rejuvenated by a season-long loan across the Channel with Lille, scoring four goals in 31 appearances as the Ligue 1 side finished third. And Hoddle, who spent four successful years with Monaco in the late '80s, believes Cole will have benefitted from the experience of playing abroad.

"Again the squad looks pretty young and inexperienced and Joe has that experience under his belt and knows the foreign game," added Hoddle. "He's got good experience at international level, he played in Champions League level and he's played abroad.

"I went and played in France and it widens your horizons and you learn so much more playing in a different system and a different culture. So I think he would have been pretty close to getting in the squad."

Cole is expected to return to Liverpool next season, according to sources at Lille, who appear to have abandoned attempts to sign him on a permanent basis.

"Joe Cole will stay at Liverpool," Lille coach Rudi Garcia said earlier this month. "The new staff has decided to keep him. We will keep very good memories of the player but also of the man."

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