INTERNATIONAL PREVIEW
With Sven-Goran Eriksson raiding the Under 21 squad for the first team international against Australia then it is a chance for five of David Platt's newcomers to impress in tonight's friendly with Italy in Carrara.
The potential to progress is certainly there as of the national squad only Paul Scholes and Gareth Southgate didn't feature in the Under 21 team and there is an astonishing 184 caps at this level amongst the squad.
Wayne Rooney, Jermaine Jenas, Joe Cole, Francis Jeffers and Paul Konchesky have all been elevated to Eriksson's squad leaving vacancies in Platt's team. Jermaine Pennant is also missing because of an Achilles injury picked up at the weekend while playing for Watford so Platt has called up five new faces to bolster his depleted ranks.
The Ipswich duo of midfielder Darren Ambrose and striker Darren Bent, along with Blackburn left back James McEvely and Bolton midfielder Ian Nolan have all been included as well as Derby goalkeeper Lee Grant.
The game is seen as a crucial warm-up for England before group leaders Turkey visit later in the year and Platt has warned the quintet that they are not guaranteed to be regulars in the squad on the basis of this call-up as Eriksson could send one or two of his young hopefuls back down to the Under 21's after the Australia game.
Platt has told the newcomers to grasp the mantle, particularly, McEvely, Ambrose and Bent, who wouldn't have made this squad if Eriksson didn't plan to play a 'team for the future' in the second half of the senior match at Upton Park tomorrow.
He said: "It's a young squad, 80 per cent of which I'll probably be naming in two years time and by then they will be more experienced. It's a hard squad to be in though because, yes they are in it this time but that does not necessarily make them Under 21 players. They have to go out and continue to impress me, both when they are playing for their clubs or with us.
"Because if the likes of Jenas, Konchesky, Cole, Jeffers and Rooney do drop down from the seniors, it's going to be even more difficult for them to get back into the squad. The five who have gone into the seniors has opened up a door, so what they have to is hope those players do well enough this week to stay there and if they do that it means there are more spaces in my squad."
Platt, who keeps Gareth Barry as his captain, admitted his squad had changed due to Eriksson's thinking but hoped they could build on qualifying victories achieved over Slovakia and Macedonia in October.
He added: "It's a younger squad, and although not as strong as I would have taken if Sven had not picked those five players, it's still good development and experience for them. They will gain those things regardless, but in my eyes it's still strong enough, and the challenge is laid down to them to go out and win. That's what we are there for and aiming to do. If we don't I'll be disappointed."
Leeds United's highly-rated youngster James Milner was recommended to the senior squad by pundit Chris Waddle after his performance against West Ham United at the weekend but Platt disagreed with the former England legend.
"I thought he played very well on Saturday and without a shadow of doubt he is another one coming through," said Platt. "But it's hard to displace players who are already here and that's the difficulty - there is a temptation to find the next one and the next one. You get a kid like Rooney who's in the senior team and it's a case of 'let's find another one in the Under 21's' - but hang on a minute.
"There are players that I am currently looking at and Milner is one in that pool and you could ask why isn't he in the squad? It was always my intention to bring a small squad as I intend to give everyone a game to look at them."
Whatever Platt's reasoning the job of Under 21 manager is a thankless task as whoever you pick, local interest will always make it the wrong decision in some quarters of the press.
