WHILE other managers are already starting to grumble about their players being selected for the European Under-21 Championships, Tony Mowbray would love to see Middlesbrough full-back Joe Bennett representing England in Denmark this summer.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has voiced his concerns about Jack Wilshere heading off to a two-week tournament at the end of an arduous campaign, while Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is also expected to protest about the possible involvement of Danny Welbeck and Chris Smalling.

Bennett will hope to make Stuart Pearce's 23-man squad after featuring in recent games against Italy and Iceland, and if he is selected for the European Championships, the Northallerton-based defender will travel to Denmark with his club manager's blessing.

"I have no problem with Joe playing," said Mowbray, who has given the 21-year-old a new lease of life since replacing Gordon Strachan. "He's a young guy and if, at 21, you can't play 50 or 60 games a season, you're never going to be able to.

"I think it's good for him to go away, experience tournament football, and see the demands that some top Premier League players make of themselves. It'll be good for him, and I don't see too many negatives apart from the possibility of him getting injured along the way.

"You're always torn, because you don't want your players injured or tired for their club games.

"But I want Joe to have as good a career as he possibly can.

"So do I want him to play in this tournament this summer? Of course I do."

Bennett will retain his starting spot this afternoon for a game that will see former Middlesbrough striker Aiyegbeni Yakubu return to the Riverside.

Five years ago, Yakubu was playing a prominent role in Boro's run to the UEFA Cup final in Eindhoven, but the Nigeria international left under a cloud when he effectively forced through a £11.25m move to Everton in August 2007.

He has subsequently joined Leicester on loan, and Mowbray admits he does not know what kind of a reception he will be afforded today.

"I'm not sure what it'll be like to be honest," he said. "While I've always been a Boro fan, I was doing other things during his time here and so I'm not really sure how things went for him.

"I think he ended up being decent business for the club, they made a healthy profit on him, and I know he scored a lot of goals.

"He might have left the club in circumstances that weren't quite ideal, so we'll have to see how the supporters feel.

"All I would say is that if you've been a Boro fan through all that time, you'll have seen Yakubu's good and bad days and you know what he can do.

"He's always been a very talented individual who can score goals, and we'll certainly be aware of the threat he can cause."