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Davies made his international debut at the age of 33 last month when he came on as a substitute in England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro, but he was left out of the squad to face France at Wembley on Wednesday. Instead, there was as a call-up for 21-year-old Newcastle striker Carroll, who came away with some credit after his first appearance in an otherwise disappointing 2-1 defeat for Fabio Capello's side. Carroll's emergence might be regarded as an ominous sign for Davies' future prospects on the international scene, but Capello has indicated the Bolton skipper remains in his thoughts and Coyle has revealed that Davies had received a phone call from England general manager Franco Baldini to reassure him that was the case. Davies is said to be "comfortable" with the situation and Coyle feels that while there will always be competition for places in the national set-up, the former Southampton forward will stay in contention if he continues to produce the good club form he has shown of late. Asked if he thought Davies and Carroll could end up vying for the same spot in Capello's squad, Coyle said: "We said this the other week when we were playing Tottenham and Peter Crouch was there. "Whatever it is, it is. All you have got is players doing their very best. "With Kevin, there is no doubt that he is in Mr Capello's thoughts for further down the line in qualifiers because of how well he is doing and how well he did when he joined with the group. "I felt the young lad Andy Carroll did himself no harm at all with the way he went about it - and you have to bear in mind that he was touch and go with an injury. "I think he showed how desperately he wants to play for his country, which speaks volumes for him as well. "You will always have players vying for positions and there is nothing wrong with that - that is why players are ultimately playing at that level, because of how well they are playing for their club. "Each and every one of them, whether it is Kevin or anyone else, has to do their utmost for their own football club because the rewards come on the back of their performances for their club." Wanderers defender Gary Cahill did not play against France either despite making the squad, but as far as Coyle is concerned, Wednesday's match was primarily an experiment for testing out new young players like Carroll - which is also why there should not be too much read in to England's generally poor display. "I think you have to give balance to it," Coyle said. "It was probably two experimental sides, with (France coach) Laurent Blanc freshening things up and looking at one or two as well. "When all is said and done, you don't read too much in to friendlies, the same as we do with pre-season games. "There is a certain exercise designed for a certain purpose and I think that is what it was - to blood some young players, which they managed to do. "Everybody would have loved an England victory and a thrilling performance, but I think when you are making so many changes, you have to give balance to it." Bolton are likely to come up against Carroll themselves on Saturday when Newcastle visit the Reebok Stadium. Carroll has seven goals to his name already this term and poses a threat Coyle knows will need to be nullified if Wanderers are to keep the momentum going that has taken them up to fifth in the Barclays Premier League. "Andy is a tremendous player and he has really revelled in the responsibility (Newcastle boss) Chris Hughton has given him," Coyle said. "We know how good a player he is and how dangerous an opponent he will be, like the rest of the Newcastle team. "We know they have gifted players, so we have to make sure we are at our best, on the front foot and looking to impose ourselves."
