James Collins says improvement in young goalkeeper hasn't surprised him at all.

Crewe Alexandra’s first-team coach James Collins believes that the club’s young goalkeeper Ben Garratt has all the credentials to play at a higher level. Collins feels that the 21-year-old stopper only improved again last season and was rightly awarded with the player-of-the-year awards from both his team-mates and the supporters.

Garratt was in fantastic form last season before he fractured a bone in his leg away at Barnsley in February and despite regaining his fitness for the last couple of games of the season he didn’t feature again.

James told the club’s official web-site: “Ben had a terrific season and he has developed into a really top goalkeeper. I think he could play higher and if I was a Premier League or Championship manager then he would be one I would look at.

“He has improved because he has been able to play a lot of games at a young age in the Football League. He is churning those games out and working closely with the likes of Steve Phillips, Fred Barber and Scott Shearer has helped him pick up things from all of them.

“I think he has all the attributes to play higher. He is more than ready in my opinion because he has everything in his locker - but I want him to stay here because he is a very good goalkeeper.

James added: “He is a great kid to work with. He is never flustered and gets on with his job and his attitude to learn and develop has always been top drawer. He has come on leaps and bounds and I am sure he will continue to do so.”