As the current England squad struggle to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup, I am consoling myself with thinking about the younger players who could make an impact in future tournaments.
(Sorry everybody I’m clutching at straws for positives about England at the moment!)
Generation
For the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and John Terry this World Cup could be their last chance of glory. Some might say they are not making the most of the opportunity. England has a good young generation of players coming through just waiting for a chance to replace them.
Adam Johnson (Manchester City)
At 22 the City winger still has plenty of time to make a few World Cups and I believe he was unlucky not to be in the current England squad. He may have only just moved to the Premier League from Middlesbrough but his displays at the end of the season for City were superb.
He showed that he was capable of producing a bit of vision or a pinpoint cross. The Manchester City fans already love the youngster and he managed to play regularly for his club, despite the City squad being full of multi-million pound superstars. He is the sort of player that gets the fans off their seats and creates chances for others.
Jack Rodwell (Everton)
The Everton defensive midfielder has shown immense class and quality in his short Everton career thus far. For a 19 year-old he has shown a great maturity on the ball. He is also versatile, able to play in the centre of defence as well as midfield.
Due to Everton’s injury problems last season he enjoyed a lengthy run in the first team. Seen as a defensive player he also showed a great willingness to drive forward from his midfield position and scored some vital goals last season.
Rodwell has great leadership skills. He has captained the England team at under 16-level and has become a regular for England under-21’s in recent months. Manchester United have been linked with a move for the youngster but he signed a new contract at Goodison Park, saying he knew that Everton was the best place for him to be. He is seen as a future Everton captain.
Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)
The Arsenal youngster is one of the most highly-rated young players in the country. He came to prominence at an early age and his dazzling skills have been compared to those of former-England star Paul Gascoigne.
He is capable of breathtaking pieces of skill and is expected to make a breakthrough with Arsenal’s first team next season. He spent a period on-loan at Bolton Wanderers last season and helped the Trotters avoid relegation. The youngster is expected to have a big future and hopefully he can fulfil his potential.
Kieran Gibbs (Arsenal)
Wilshere’s Arsenal teammate Kieran Gibbs is one of the few English players to break into the Arsenal first team from their youth setup in recent years. The 20 year-old full-back has all the attributes to make him a top class player. He is quick, athletic and good in the air.
His development has been hampered by injury problems but he is expected to be fully-fit for the start of next season. He faces stiff competition for the left-back position from French star Gael Clichy. However there has been speculation that the French international could move on in the near future.
Hope
With all the pessimism involving the England side, I just thought I would give the England fans some hope for the future. All these players have the potential to be top players for England, let’s just hope they manage to put in better performances than our current crop of so called ‘Stars’ in the big tournaments.
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