He made his debut for the England under-21 team against Wales in February 2005. He scored his first goal for the team on his debut, in the 2–2 draw with Moldova on 15 August 2006. Teamed up front again with Arsenal's Theo Walcott, he scored his second goal in the 3–2 win over Switzerland on 6 September 2006 that advanced the team into the play-off round of 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification. He scored his third goal against Spain. In June 2007, he represented the under-21s in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Netherlands.