TONY Mowbray is excited by what Anthony Patterson can go on to achieve in the game after the Sunderland goalkeeper received his first call-up to the England Under-21 squad.

The 22-year-old's fine form for the Black Cats was rewarded with his maiden selection for Lee Carsley's squad for the coming games against France and Croatia.

It caps an excellent year for the keeper, who only broke into the Sunderland team 12 months ago but has enjoyed an impressive first season in the Championship.

"It's richly deserved, I think," said Mowbray of the call-up.

"As I've said week in, week out the steadiness and composure he brings, the fact he makes big saves that help you win football matches. I'm delighted for him.

"It will be great for him to go into a different working environment with other goalkeepers and different coaches for England and do the work and see what it's like in that environment.

"Hopefully he gets some game time. I'm not sure if he's going to play or going for the experience but it's great that he's been called up. It's great for the club and obviously great for him. Hopefully he enjoys it. It's a chance to go and play in some Premier League stadiums, it will be a great experience for him."

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Patterson is quite a unique case of being first choice goalkeeper for a top end Championship side at such a tender age in football terms.

Mowbray said: "He's obviously played in some pretty big football matches for the club and has done exceptionally well and continues to do exceptionally well.

"That's down to the personality really, the traits he brings, the calmness. Some goalies are a box of frogs always shouting about, jumping, screaming at everyone. And then you have a band of goalies who are super calm and cool and know how to do their job. Then you get brilliant goalies who are both.

"Anthony is just a big steady guy who is really good at keeping the ball out of his net and dealing with crosses. He has growth areas as you'd expect of a young goalkeeper, his distribution at times needs to be worked on and is getting worked on.

"But he doesn't have many, what I would call faults. It's amazing to think of what he's going to be like when he's 30 and has still got six to eight years still to play when he's so young now and so good at what he does. He obviously has a big future."