BLUES boss Stuart Pearce has given Sylvain Distin's World Cup hopes a ringing endorsement.

The City chief has admitted he is incredulous that his captain has not yet been called up for the French national squad.

On form so far this season, there are few better central defenders in the Premiership than quiet man Distin, who has shouldered additional responsibilities at the back while regular partner Richard Dunne has been sidelined with an injury.

Pearce's men haven't conceded two goals in a top-flight encounter in their last 18 outings, stretching back to the first weekend in April, when they drew 2-2 at Charlton Athletic.

And according to the manager, his skipper's growing confidence and expertise has been one of the cornerstones of the defensive improvement.

Inexperienced

"Sylvain has got a bit of everything and if he is not an international player then I am Dutchman," reckoned Pearce, who has no plans to add a `Van' between his forename and surname.

"He has been unbelievable. Sylvain has pace, he has power and he can jump 16 feet in the air. He captains the club and is a fantastic man to have around."

Although he will celebrate his 28th birthday before Christmas, Distin is still relatively inexperienced in terms of Premiership games, having only just passed the century mark for City. Pearce accepts that his captain has matured into the role of a top-class defender having learned his craft at Paris St Germain's academy with the likes of Brazilian superstar Ronaldinho.

"He had to learn about the Premiership, which was a process he started while on loan at Newcastle," accepted the City chief.

"What you have to bear in mind and remember is that when he came here he was, in racing terms, `lightly raced'.

Questions

"He didn't have two or three hundred appearances behind him and he has just got better and better.

"We have said to him to look at the opposition and ask yourself the questions `can they run quicker than me', `can they out- jump me' and `can they out-battle me' and the answer to all those is `no'.

"We have tried to instil in Sylvain and the rest of the defenders that strong mentality and an arrogance in his play if you like. I think he is in the process of developing that now and it will develop even more when he plays week in week out and is able to say that no one is causing him a problem.

"Perhaps as a very young man learning his craft, he lacked some focus, but that is not the case now. He is captain of this football club. I think that it is a massive honour for him to do that and I am proud to have him as my captain."

Such has been Distin's form that he has been a big-money target for several Premiership sides over the past six months and the Blues are keen to tie up the defender's long-term future.

He has one more year left on his contract and it would be no great surprise if Pearce, having secured the signatures of the vast majority of his promising youngsters, now offers a lengthy new agreement to Distin, whose value would soar further should he make the French side between now and next summer's World Cup.

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