MY old pal Peter Reid has been purring about Mikel Arteta's form in recent weeks.
And for as good a judge of midfield talent as Reidy to sing his praises, the little Spaniard must be doing well.
But equally I think Mikel will have to be patient if he wants to fulfil his international ambitions with Spain.
I can understand his frustrations - especially when he can see Luis Garcia, a player who doesn't do an awful lot for me, unable to command a regular first-team place for Liverpool yet regularly selected for his country.
The secret of earning international recognition, however, is to perform week in, week out for a prolonged period of time.
It was my pleasure to be at Highbury on Sunday afternoon when Arsenal's young midfielder Cesc Fabregas produced a virtuoso dis-play.
The difference between Fabregas and Arteta, however, was that the little Gunner has been producing that level of performance for more than 18 months now.
He made his Arsenal debut at Goodison Park on the opening day of last season and earned rave reviews - and he has rarely dropped below that level of performance ever since.
He may only be 18, but he has earned his international call-up by the consistent quality of his performances.
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