It's a measure of the miracle performed by Gus Poyet over the last four games that you listen to the Sunderland manager when he suggests that Connor Wickham could yet be a shock inclusion in England’s World Cup squad.

A striker who little more than a month ago returned from Leeds without a goal after a second loan spell in the Championship this season. But he is the main driving force behind Sunderland’s remarkable fight against relegation - a team seven points adrift at the bottom of the Premier League just three weeks ago.

A seat on the plane to Brazil is probably asking too much, even though Roy Hodgson was there to see the 6ft 3in target man display another side to his game by providing the cross for Sebastian Larsson to point Sunderland towards their first win at Old Trafford in 46 years.

Driving force: Gus Poyet has suggested Connor Wickham could get a call-up to the England squad

It followed Wickham’s five goals in a three-game sequence that saw the Wearsiders draw with Manchester City at the Etihad, beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and thrash relegation rivals Cardiff before causing an upset at Old Trafford for the second time this season.

But Poyet believes the England Under-21 international should at least be considered as an alternative to the likes of Rickie Lambert and Andy Carroll when Hodgson announces his squad a week on Monday.

He said: 'When you set up a squad, you need options. Depending on which players are available, you will need someone with pace, someone who is big who can hold the ball, someone in the box and someone who can drop.'

'He (Hodgson) is going to have to pick one or two box players. Then is it Carroll? Is it Lambert? Is it Connor?'

'What he’s doing well is putting his name in there. Back in the Premier League, that’s what he wanted to do and has not been able to in the last three years.'

Shock win: Wickham (right) celebrates Sebastain Larsson's winnng goal for Sunderland against Man United