Wednesday 3 August 2016 01:21, UK
New England boss Sam Allardyce has made first contact with each of the 23 players involved in the country's disappointing Euro 2016 campaign.
The 61-year-old started work as Roy Hodgson's successor last week and, after settling into his new office at St George's Park, sent a message to every player who was a member of the squad in France.
His first game in charge of the national side is the World Cup qualifier in Slovakia on September 4, preceded by a weeklong get together, and he will not be naming his first squad until the end of August.
Despite that, he decided to open communications with those who were part of England's group in the summer without any indication being given about any individual's place in Allardyce's thinking.
Those on the standby list and others who may come into the reckoning under the new regime were not included but Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton, Hodgson's third-choice keeper at the tournament, was among those to be approached.
He faces competition from a fit-again Jack Butland to stay in the England set-up, but was pleased to hear from former Sunderland boss Allardyce.
"I just had a brief email to say hello and introduce himself," said Heaton. "I'm sure he's got an awful lot on but that arrived on Tuesday, which was fantastic. It was just a general email.
"There's nothing really that you do about it [replying]. My focus is just on getting myself right and seeing where it takes me.
"Having had a taste of it I certainly want more. I have a hunger to step on, get more caps, keep involved. I'll be putting the work in to do that.
"With a new manager coming in you never know what his thoughts are but all I can really do is get my performance right and see where it takes me."
