ADAM JOHNSON tipped Sunderland team-mate Connor Wickham for a senior England call last night before admitting that he has had his own hopes of an international recall boosted.

Wickham’s decision to commit the next four-and-a-half years to the Stadium of Light by signing a new contract this week has given the rest of the squad a boost ahead of Saturday’s visit of West Ham United.

The 21-year-old had been attracting attention from Southampton and Leicester City, as well as clubs from abroad, but Gus Poyet’s desire to keep the £8m man has paid off.

And Johnson feels that keeping Wickham on Wearside sends out the right message for a club with ambitions to become established in the top half of the Premier League.

“Obviously, like the manager said, you’re keeping young, English players at the club and that’s what you want,” said Johnson. “I mean, what he did for us at the back end of last season and up until now, it would have been a disaster to lose him.

“I think it was only going to be a matter of time, but he took his time and did what was right for him. He proved himself at the back end of last season, and a lot of times this season. To let someone go with his potential, and how young he is ... I’m sure there were a lot of teams wanting to take him, especially on a free.”

Wickham would have been out of contract next summer and has become a key player under Poyet since scoring five goals in four games to help Sunderland stay up towards the end of last season.

The former Ipswich Town striker has regularly scored for the England Under-21s and Johnson thinks it is only a matter of time before Wickham delivers at an even higher level.

He said: “The club paid a good fee for him as well, so to lose him for free and find more money to replace him is difficult, especially young players who hopefully, or probably, are going to go on and play for the national team one day.

“He’s taken time to settle. He’s been on loan, and I think that’s what’s probably helped him. You go away and you come back more mature, and I think we’ve seen what he’s about now.”

Johnson has also had his own hunger to play for England grow once more in recent weeks. After having to accept that Roy Hodgson was unlikely to select him in the build up to last summer’s World Cup in Brazil, he has tried to focus on club football again.

This weekend Sunderland face a West Ham team which includes a player who has endured similar international torment. Stewart Downing, a former team-mate of Johnson’s from Middlesbrough, forced his way back in to Hodgson’s thinking with his performances this season – and he played in the last international against Scotland.

That has heartened Johnson, whose last England cap arrived nine days before he was sold by Manchester City in August 2012. He said: “I think we are probably answering the same questions about England, aren’t we?

“I think Stewart fully deserves it. It hasn’t just been this season, he’s been playing well for a while again now, in a new role for him, which I think he’s always suited with the attributes he has.

“I think you’ve got to just try to do what he’s done, get your head down and if it comes it comes. That’s what he’s done, he hasn’t worried about it. He’s just got on with playing for West Ham, and playing as well as he can and it’s happened, it comes along.

“That’s what he’s done and that’s what people like me, Stewie and whoever else have got to do. He’s just concentrating on enjoying his football.”