WITH Sven-Goran Eriksson sat in the Milburn Stand, Jermaine Jenas would have been keen to prove a point last night.

But Eriksson will have gone away thinking that this is a player with plenty of potential - nothing changed there then. Jenas enjoyed a productive game, showing in spells that he possesses everything required in the modern game.

He has an element of pace; an eye for goal; and he has the ability to pick out his man with a pass from 40 yards.

What Jenas also indicated he has in his locker, though, is the ability to beat his man - and that is something many would not have realised he could do with so much ease. This may have been an Under-21 game, but let's face it he was up against the stars of Turkey's future.

And while that may not have struck fear into leading football countries in the not-too-distant past, this crop of Turkey young guns are tipped to have a big impact on world football over the coming decade or so.

Jenas may have been disappointed to have been dropped from the senior squad, but he is is only 20 with the rest of his career ahead of him. It must also be remembered that the Newcastle starlet has to work his way ahead of Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham and even, to a lesser extent, Magpies teammate Kieron Dyer in Eriksson's plans.

That being the case Eriksson was right not to play Jenas tonight against the Turks' senior squad at the Stadium of Light, and correct again to allow him to gain more Under-21 experience, which will only have helped his rapidly-developing talent. He rekindled a link from his Nottingham Forest days last night when he started alongside David Prutton in the middle of the pitch.

Prutton, who moved to Southampton in January, started the brighter of the two and he played his part in a move also involving Joe Cole which eventually led to Francis Jeffers shooting wide. And the St James' Park hero did not do his confidence any good when he made a complete hash of a few early short passes.

But as soon as Jenas sprayed a cross-field ball into the left channel for Gareth Barry, the Newcastle midfielder grew in stature with every second on the pitch.

Jenas, who represented England from Under-15s through to the Under-19s, also had a free-kick curl wide with the help of a deflection and showed some delightful dribbling to beat a number of Turkey players on a few occasions during the night.

Make no mistake this was not a brilliant performance from the versatile schemer, and it will be one which Eriksson has learnt very little, if anything, new about the youngster's talent.

But what it will have done is reminded the England chief just what a promising player he has on the way through the ranks. When he will eventually select him in his starting line-up, however, is a different matter entirely.