JAMES BEATTIE'S dream remains to help England lift the European Championships next summer - but could it become a fantasy if he stays at Saints?

Is playing for Southampton, a club still very much minus national glamour despite recent on-field achievements, holding Beattie's international career back?

Would his chances be increased with a move to one of the big clubs - either in the January transfer market or at the end of this season should Saints fail to build on last term's performances?

Those have become pertinent questions given Beattie's rather inexplicable axing from Sven-Goran Eriksson's England squad this week.

With 23 goals last season and another seven this term, the Saints striker has comfortably been the most prolific English Premiership goalscorer for the past year.

Despite this he has been capped just four times for England and only really been given a proper opportunity in the Euro 2004 qualifier against Liechtenstein at Old Trafford.

His omission was all the more startling given that Michael Owen is out injured for the friendly against Denmark on Sunday and Eriksson has only picked three strikers in Emile Heskey, Darius Vassell and Wayne Rooney.

Though Rooney has been suffering from sickness, Beattie still hasn't been called up.

The three strikers selected have scored less goals between them than Beattie on his own in the past 12 months!

Saints legend Terry Paine firmly believes playing for Saints isn't holding Beattie back.

"If they were picking on the basis of which club you play for it would be a foolish way to select a team," he said.

"It might have been a bit like that with the old school network many years ago, but since Sir Alf Ramsey you have had professional managers."