Jesse Lingard’s shock call-up to the England national team for tonight’s litmus test friendly against France has caused quite the furore. Having made just eight senior appearances to date for Manchester United, many Three Lions fans aren’t even sure who the 22-year-old winger actually is – let alone why he’s suddenly taken Roy Hodgson’s fancy.
It’s not as if the newspapers have been overflowing with reports heralding his world-class potential in recent weeks and United fans would sooner wax lyrical about Anthony Martial, Memphis Depay or even James Wilson than an attacking midfielder who has spent the vast majority of Louis van Gaal’s tenure either injured or out on loan.
Of course, Match of the Day regulars will have witnessed his impressive strike against West Bromwich Albion last weekend, whilst Champions League regulars will have noted his assist to Wayne Rooney against CSKA Moscow two Tuesdays prior.
But the sceptics argue; is that all it takes to become an England international nowadays? Is a 22-year-old with just five Premier League appearances under his belt really the best England have? It certainly strikes a dissonant chord against the proverbs of Gary Neville, who has said numerous times on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football that the national team can’t become simply a collection of the most in-form English players ahead of any given international period.
Likewise, supporters of the Premier League’s less glamorous sides will smell yet another whiff of the big-club bias that has been pungent in their sinuses for generations. Why not Leicester City’s Marc Albrighton, Crystal Palace’s Jason Puncheon or Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish? Or for that matter, why not even the more experienced and dependable Ashley Young, a former England regular?
But if Roy Hodgson intends to complete at least one part of his brief before his time with England comes to an end, it’s the section pertaining to the development of young players. Throughout his tenure, the former West Brom and Liverpool manager has watched the ‘Golden generation’ corrode with age and an inexperienced cohort of youngsters fail to adequately fill their void.
So if there’s one thing Hodgson is determined to pass onto his eventual successor, it’s a varied, relatively experienced, youthful selection of decent quantity with players who can say they’ve at the very least participated in an England training camp or two. Eriksen and Fabio Capello both concentrated on the present and left with little to show for their efforts in charge of the Three Lions; at least Hodgson can say he helped England build for the future, even if his decisions were controversial at the time.
Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, Lingard’s call-up isn’t as out-of-the-blue as it may initially seem. Sure, plenty of home-grown players have made more progress than the winger by the age of 22 in Premier League terms, but Lingard’s selection pays homage to an idea I’ve endorsed for some time – a more direct connection between the England U21s and the senior squad.
In addition to his promising performances for Manchester United of late, providing rare moments of impact in a side that has been accused of lacking creativity to a serial degree, Lingard was amongst England’s best performers during the summer’s U21 European Championship, scoring one of their solitary two goals at the tournament with a superb long-range strike against Sweden.
Overall, the winger boasts eleven caps at U21 level, bettered by only three players in Gareth Southgate’s latest squad, so if anybody deserves a promotion to senior level due to injuries, Lingard is certainly amongst the strongest candidates. Consequentially, it sends out a clear and positive message to the U21s; firstly that Hodgson is watching and good performances will be duly noted, and secondly that it is a viable route to senior international football.
It adds much-needed kudos, amid an era in which the U21s’ image has been marred by players ‘opting out’ of youth international duties, instead spending the summer with the senior team or simply resting up on a beach in Barbados. Whether it’s a deliberate, coincidental or token gesture is almost irrelevant; the implication alone will be of huge benefit to Southgate when making future selections, providing an incentive to players who believe they can simply leapfrog U21 football.
Of course, only time will justify Lingard’s unexpected call-up. He could become a mainstay with United and England; he could become the newest member of the one-cap wonder club, who spend the rest of their careers floating between mid-table in the Premier League and mid-table in the Championship. But nonetheless, in the context of the current moment, Lingard’s inclusion feels like the right call. Here’s a hardworking player who has earned his stripes in the Championship and never shirked U21 responsibilities getting his just deserves.
Would an Aston Villa or Southampton player be treated in the same way? Admittedly, that still bothers me a little.