Goal-shy Heskey backed by Young

Young (l) is recalled to the England squad but Heskey is out injured

Ashley Young has defended Aston Villa and England team-mate Emile Heskey despite the striker not scoring at senior level for more than five months.

Heskey's last goal was in England's 4-0 win in a World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan on 6 June.

Winger Young told BBC Radio 5 live: "I think he's been brilliant for the way that England have played, with Wayne Rooney playing off him.

"I think Emile's been that target man that England have needed."

Heskey last scored for his club against West Ham in April but Young believes, despite his lack of goals, he has still offered a lot in attack.

"Any striker would want to play with Emile; he's a fantastic player to play with.

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"He might not have scored goals but he's been doing a job for team and country and does it extremely well," the 24-year-old said.

"There's not a lot of people that will know his character but he's been brilliant for me and the other players.

"He's an all-rounder. He's been criticised for not scoring but I think if you look at everything else - his work-rate, his hold-up play, his heading - for such a big guy he's got great feet and he's still quick.

"He's never down - I don't think any player that comes into the dressing room is ever down with the team spirit and bond that we've got here.

"It shows season after season that team spirit and team bonding gets better and we take that on to the pitch as well."

Young says he is delighted to have forced his way back into England manager Fabio Capello's plans after not being selected for the squad to face Belarus and Ukraine.

And he is pleased to see other English players in the Villa squad getting recognition as well.

"There's a lot of English talent that have been involved and I think it's brilliant for the club and just shows how well the club's been doing.

"I'm just happy that I've got myself back into the squad. The manager has recognised that I've been doing well of late and has given me another chance.

"I think my form has been good from the start of the season. There's things that don't come off in games but you've got to keep trying.

"I'm one that's always willing to battle. In the last few weeks I've got a couple of goals and I'm just full of confidence."

Young is also relishing the chance to face Brazil in Qatar at the weekend, a team he believes is always one of the best in the world.

"You look at their record and how much they've won, and it's always nice to be able to test yourself and hopefully I'll have the chance to be on the pitch," he said.

"If you look at their team throughout many years they've been the best team in the world.

"It's always good to get another cap and then you're playing one of the best teams in the world so it's always going to be a nice test."