SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown is running the rule over former England international Carlton Cole.

The 33-year-old striker, who won seven caps for his country, is currently training with the Shrimpers.

And Brown will be tracking the forward’s progress closely as he mulls over his next move.

“We’ve got Carlton in at the moment after a recommendation from Sam Allardyce and he will train with the first team today,” said Brown.

“He’s returned from Indonesia and we all know what he’s done in his career so we’ll be having a look at him and see where we go from there.”

Cole has lined up for Chelsea, Wolves, Charlton Athletic, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Celtic in his career, scoring 86 goals in 388 appearances.