Peter Crouch’s hat-trick in Liverpool’s 4-1 rout of Arsenal must have been cheered by England coach Steve McClaren through gritted teeth on Saturday.

McClaren has been vilified in the media since England’s double-header with Israel and Andorra in Euro 2008 qualifying, where a lack of firepower led to a 0-0 draw in Tel Aviv and a dour 3-0 win in Barcelona that was still goalless after an hour.

Crouch, who has scored five times in his last six games for England, missed both matches to have surgery after breaking his nose on club duty in February.

As a former Premier League manager with Middlesbrough, McClaren is fully aware of club pressures and did not rant about the timing of the operation, which meant Crouch missed only one game for Liverpool — a 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.

Well-paid club managers know where their loyalties lie and any sympathy for McClaren should be tempered by the same amount for Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho.

Winger Arjen Robben was packed off to the Netherlands fully fit but was sent back, two qualifiers later, with a torn meniscus that will keep him out for four crucial weeks in their season.

After Crouch’s single-handed demolition of Arsenal — a performance that saw him memorably described as the “sunshine superman” over at Sportingo — McClaren would be entitled to vent his frustration at the striker’s absence for England. He surely deserves credit for not having done so.

Trevor Huggins is a Reuters soccer correspondent based in London