Aldridge told Liverpools official website: “I’ve been impressed with Pennant since he joined Liverpool and he’s shown a lot of promise.
“With David Beckham out of the picture, there’s a vacancy on the right wing at international level and I see no reason why Pennant can’t force himself into contention.
“He’s behind Shaun Wright-Phillips and Aaron Lennon at the moment, but he’s at the best club to push ahead in the four years or more he’s at Anfield.
“In some games this season he’s done well for Liverpool and in others he’s struggled a bit more, but you’ve got to give the lad a chance. He’s still only a youngster.
“What I’d like to see him focus on is getting as many crosses into the danger zone as he can. Sometimes he has a tendency to cut inside or hit the first defender with his delivery. If he can improve his percentages in this area we’ve seen enough already to know Dirk Kuyt and Crouch would relish the kind of crosses Pennant is capable of.
“I’ve heard Pennant and Rafa Benitez talking up his England prospects, and I think that’s good. It shows there’s a hunger there to improve much more.”
