Stuart Pearce will give Steven Taylor the England Under-21 captaincy if the Newcastle defender returns to the squad from the seniors.

Taylor, 21, will miss today's Under-21 friendly against Romania as he is in Steve McClaren's plans for the full international tomorrow.

While Pearce sees it as part of his job to get youngsters into McClaren's thoughts, he also feels it is beneficial for them to play and has spoken in the past of a situation where players eventually could train with the seniors and play for the Under-21s.

''Part of my job is to get results and part of it is to get players upgraded,'' said Pearce. ''I spoke to him on Sunday to tell him he'll be captaining this side when he's available to play. How quickly he gets into the seniors and stays there is a situation on form and injuries and other things. "He may be back in my squad for the qualifiers next month but he has that mentality, like every player should, that you play your football where you are selected and it's all part of your learning curve."

After Taylor's heroics at the European Championships in Holland this summer - he could barely walk from an ankle injury but carried on playing against the hosts in the semi-final - Pearce hopes the centre-back is rewarded with a full cap.

The former Manchester City boss stressed that does not mind which squad Taylor is in and the youngster's development is the important consideration.

''Steve (McClaren) will make the final call,'' said Pearce. ''If you ask for my personal opinion: would he learn more from playing for me or sitting in the stands watching a game with one or two players ahead of him?

"For me, playing football is where you learn your trade, without a doubt.

''If Steve wants to pick him on the bench to bring him on to get him capped that's ideal. If that's not the case, he's a big influence on this squad and we'd love to have him back.''