Exclusive by Luke Hollands

An England World Cup winner has tipped former Maidstone United defender Chris Smalling to make it all the way to the top.

As accolades go, they don't get much bigger than praise from George Cohen.

The England defender, who lifted the Jules Rimet trophy as part of Alf Ramsey's legendary 1966 side, is often dubbed the nation's greatest ever right-back.

He played every game of his professional career at Smalling's current club, Fulham, and has been keeping a watchful eye on the former Stones player.

The centre-back, a former Chatham Grammar School pupil whose family lives at Walderslade, moves to Manchester United at the end of the season as part of a multi-million-pound deal.

Cohen said: "I've seen Chris play three or four times. I have an idea he's got the right frame of mind and attitude and desire to do good and we've got high hopes for him at Fulham, even though he'll only be with us until the end of the season. But we wish him all the best at Manchester United.

"Bringing him on as they're doing is the right thing and he'll turn out to be a very good player. In three seasons you'll know whether he'll be an international player holding his own in the international side.

"He certainly looks like a good one at the moment, we may have sold him too cheap."

Cohen was in Maidstone this week as part of a promotional tour, signing the largest England shirt in the world, which will be handed to the squad prior to their first World Cup clash this summer.

He knows the county town well, having spent a spell managing Tonbridge Angels in the 1970s, leading them to Kent Senior Cup glory in 1975.