Fulham coach Roy Hodgson has backed Bobby Zamora for a shock England call-up after seeing the striker net the winner against Sunderland on Sunday.

Zamora netted a second half winner for the Cottagers and responded by launching a furious tirade against the Fulham boo-boys when he ignored his team-mates before yelling out: "Shut your f****** mouths."

In the wake of much criticism, Fulham coach Roy Hodgson has moved to back Zamora and even tipped the 28-year-old for a shock call-up to Fabio Capello's Three Lions squad.

"There is a lot of talk about Emile Heskey going to the World Cup, but I would prefer Zamora because I know him so well," he told The Sun.

"Heskey is a very powerful, willing and hard-working player but Bobby is more technical.

"I was on a World Cup panel with Terry Venables the other day and he said there is a case for making one or two more unusual selections - players who maybe have something a little bit different," he added.

Capello is not short of striking options upfront, although Hodgson believes that Zamora's versatility could be beneficial should he be given the chance to showcase it in a Three Lions shirt.

"They might not be in a starting XI but they could come on and give you something a bit extra," he said.

"If you perpetuated that argument, you could come up with an argument for Bobby Zamora. He is the type of player we don't have too many like in the English Premiership."