Manchester United, Aston Villa, Swansea City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea players could be in line for call-ups.
Arsene Wenger stated last night that 20-year-old midfielder Jack Wilshere would miss this summer’s international tournament. Wilshere himself later Tweeted to confirm the news, announcing that he needs to rest his ankle having missed the whole season.
The news may well please Arsenal fans, who simply want to see him right again for the start of next season.
So who will replace him in midfield and be called up to the squad? We are not including regulars Steven Gerrard, Scott Parker and James Milner in our list because based on previous squads they will be selected any way. Everton’s Jack Rodwell is also ruled out with injury, opening the way for new – or old- faces.
Here are seven who could be called up.
Paul Scholes
Scholes is clearly the popular choice to take Wilshere’s role and answer an England SOS. Let’s face it, any of our other six would be a step down. Since making a shock comeback at the start of the year with Manchester United, Scholes has led his team to the top of the Premier League. He is yet to lose a game since his comeback, and stated on retiring that he regretted turning down a late plea to play at the last World Cup. Two years on he has the chance to make amends. Will he take it?
Tom Cleverley
At the start of the season young Manchester United midfielder Cleverley looked as though he would be a shoe-in for this summer’s tournament and a ready-made Wilshere replacement should the unthinkable happen. After suffering injury problems of his own, his prospects look far more doubtful. Since returning to action in mid-February, Cleverley has been unable to hold down a place in United’s starting line-up, and while interim boss Stuart Pearce is a fan, if he goes to the tournament it may be in more of a squad player capacity than as a starter.
Gary Gardner
Gardner would be a shock call-up, but perhaps a wise one. The 19-year-old Villa midfielder is highly rated and a current star of the under-21 side. He finished as the top scorer in this year’s NextGen tournament with six goals and has forced his way into Villa’s first team since the start of the year. With Villa struggling it has been a tough learning curve for him, but surely there can be no better educational experience than going to a summer tournament with England, even if it is to sit on the bench and savour the experience. He may just get a chance and surprise a few people.
Leon Britton
We are obliged to mention Britton after his fantastic season for Swansea City. If England are fortunate enough to go as far as to meet current champions Spain, their passing style is likely to blow us away. What we need at international level are players who can pass and move and keep possession, and Britton is just that. He has a staggering pass completion percentage of 93.3 per cent, the highest in Europe. At 29 this could be his big chance, or will he continue to be overlooked?
Jake Livermore
If the new manager decides to go with youth over experience, an alternative to Tom Cleverley and Gary Gardner could be Tottenham’s Jake Livermore. The 22-year-old has finally forced his way into the Spurs line-up, and similar to Britton, his pass completion percentage is 90.4 per cent, the 19th highest in Europe’s top leagues. He has featured 21 times in the league for Spurs this season and England could do worse than giving a young talented player experience. If Harry Redknapp is made manager, his chances of a call-up could only increase.
Michael Carrick
A season ago the prospects of Michael Carrick being called up to England looked slim, out of form and clearly not a favourite of Capello. Since then the Italian has resigned, and Carrick has recaptured his form. With Manchester United flying he will be full of confidence, and is keeping Cleverley out of the first team along with Scholes. He has never quite cracked international football, but there may be no better time to prove the doubters wrong.
Frank Lampard
Lampard will absolutely be a divisive choice among fans. He is on this list because his selection is by no means a guarantee unlike Steven Gerrard. Pearce dropped him from the last friendly with Holland, and many feel that bringing him back in would be a backwards step for England’s international chances after several failures. There still remain questions over whether he can play with Gerrard, although Scott Parker joining them as a three may free them both up. With Chelsea suddenly flying domestically and in Europe, Lampard will feel disappointed if he is overlooked.
Which of the above players should England pick to go to Euro 2012?
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Who would you take to Euro 2012?
image: © Ronnie Macdonald
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