The painful snapping of David Beckham’s Achilles tendon has apparently been heard around the world. Already, innumerable obituaries have been offered for Becks’ World Cup dream; some were keen to even write-off the 34-year-old’s career before a complete diagnosis was even made. What is for sure, however, is that England’s commander-in-chief, Fabio Capello, who quickly offered a message of sympathy to one of his most-valued squad members, will have already have ‘moved on’ in the re-composition of his selection for South Africa.
Beckham was, of course, due to fill a back-up slot; covering the right-wing and central midfield positions; offering technical assurance and set-piece wizardry as and when necessary. He was the ‘Plan B’ for England’s right flank, which, for all their innate talents, has yet to have been rightfully claimed as his own by any of its most recent occupants. Theo Walcott, Aaron Lennon, even Shaun Wright-Phillips, have all dazzled intermittently, while James Milner’s assiduous reliability and impressive versatility has pushed the Aston Villa midfielder to the forefront of late.
Given that Lennon’s recurrent injury woes appear likely to rule the Tottenham man out of the running, it looks as though Walcott, for all his faults, remains the favourite for the right-wing berth. Beckham’s enforced withdrawal, however, frees up space for another wide-man.
So, what if there was an orthodox winger available to Capello; someone with undoubted potential, the ability to drift past his marker, to easily beat a full-back with a trick, then cross onto a fivepence (even tougher than a sixpence, you’ll agree). What if such a player was so highly-regarded that both Chelsea and Real Madrid were apparently interested in securing his signature before he moved from his boyhood club in a deal worth an ample £7 million – during a depressed mid-season transfer market and in spite of having only a few months remaining on his contract. And, as if to confirm his potential for divinity, this young man is predominantly left-footed. Now, surely the astute Italian wouldn’t fail to select such a player?
Well he’s certainly considering it. Adam Johnson’s call-up to the preliminary squad for the Egypt game confirmed that Signor Capello has the Sunderland-born starlet in his thoughts.
Already it is apparent that Johnson has the raw talent to follow in the footsteps of the best British wingers of recent years. The ‘new Giggs’ labels were as premature as they were predictable, especially given his move to Manchester, but it is no surprise to discover that the Welsh wizard, whose videos Johnson studied at length while in the Middlesbrough youth ranks, was the “hero” of Johnson’s footballing youth.
Comparisons to Chris Waddle also hold a grain of authenticity – what with their North East backgrounds, willingness to attack full-backs at speed, and penchant for pinpoint left-footed crosses. The forthright former Marseille star cited Johnson’s rapid progress in the footnotes of his scathing (though fairly accurate) portrayal of Walcott earlier this month. The young Arsenal forward was, of course, himself a World Cup wildcard four years ago. Perhaps Johnson, his senior by two years, can fill that ‘role’ this time around.
His manager at Eastlands has shown great belief in Johnson’s ability – offering him an unexpected full debut against Bolton, where the winger earned the Man of the Match award, and again turning to the 22-year-old as Sunday’s game at the Stadium of Light threatened to slip away from City’s cast of stars. In front of his family, all Sunderland fans, Johnson, with stunning virtuosity, jinked to the edge of the penalty area before unleashing an unstoppable curling shot into the extreme top-left corner of the previously unbeatable Craig Gordon’s net. Salvaging a valuable point in the chase for Champions League football, Johnson enjoyed the plaudits of Roberto Mancini, who, it has frequently been reported, has had at least one in-depth discussion with Fabio Capello about his new protégé.
The praise was not unfettered by a certain degree of realism, however.
“Adam is a good player, but is a young player,” said Mancini.
He continued: “I think that in the future, he will be a good player for the national team, but now I don't know. The England national team has a good manager and he knows very well Adam Johnson and he will decide.”
The man himself acknowledges the size of his task in jumping from the Championship to the World Cup in six months. Lest this be held against the youngster, it should be noted that both Jonás Gutiérrez and Fabricio Coloccini are likely to feature for Argentina, having played second-tier football all season long. Robert Koren, in and out of favour at West Brom, will captain Slovenia at the finals.
Just last week Johnson, who has won 19 caps for the under-21s, presciently said: “Who knows? If there are a couple of injuries and I have some great form between now and the end of the season, you never know. I’ve come a long way in a short space of time.
“Somebody always comes in late, and if you know the England manager is watching, you can’t help but try a bit harder. It’s up to me to do well for City and, if we get fourth spot with me playing a big part in it, then you never know.”
Certainly, his early showings back in the Premier League have overshadowed the more prosaic form of the man he understudied at Middlesbrough, Stewart Downing, whose crossing ability is undoubted, but lacks the capacity for the unexpected that Johnson has to offer. Meanwhile, the immensely-talented Joe Cole’s return from injury has been so far underwhelming (perhaps untimely contract discussions have played their part) and Steven Gerrard has been, and always will be, an unwilling ‘narrow’ left-winger. In the negative margin, though, Capello must consider whether he can afford to include another inexperienced left-sided player, with either Stephen Warnock or Leighton Baines set to deputise for Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge.
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