Picking Arsenal's Best XI England Internationals of All Time

International breaks are traditionally difficult times for fans of Premier League football.

Supporters go cold turkey from watching their club sides and are forced to endure the often turgid spectacle of international football instead.

Arsenal fans have been relatively fortunate in that they have been able to watch many of their star players turn out for England over the years.

Go to the next slide as we name the greatest XI Arsenal players to pull on the England shirt. 

Goalkeeper: David Seaman

Arsenal's first-ever England international was a goalkeeper: James "Jimmy" Ashcroft, who kept an incredible 108 clean sheets in 303 Arsenal appearances.

However, the greatest shot-stopper to play for both Arsenal and England is surely David Seaman.

The Yorkshireman made his debut in 1988 and remained in the side for a further 15 consecutive years.

Although his England career ended on a downbeat note after being beaten directly from a corner kick by Artim Sakiri, he will still be remembered as one of the all-time greats.

Right-Back: Lee Dixon

Lee Dixon was one of England's greatest right-backs for more than a decade.

However, he was criminally undervalued at international level. He was capped just 22 times as a succession of managers preferred the likes of Paul Parker and Gary Stevens.

Dixon retired as one of the finest English defenders never to play in a major international tournament.

Centre-Back: Leslie Compton

Leslie Compton is selected because he holds an extraordinary record: he was given his England debut at the age of 38 years two months and three days.

That makes him the oldest British international debutant ever. It is a record unlikely to ever be broken.

His England call-up was just reward for a career in which he served Arsenal well. Compton also holds the distinction of having represented his country in another sport: cricket.

Centre-Back: Tony Adams

Chelsea fans frequently hail John Terry as "captain, leader, legend"; It's a tag-line more befitting of Tony Adams, also known as simply "Mr. Arsenal."

For a time he was also "Mr. England." Adams captained his country in two spells, amassing 66 caps along the way.

He also played a record 60 times at the old Wembley.

Left-Back: Kenny Samson

Some may expect to see Ashley Cole in this spot, but while Cole may have recently got his 100th senior cap, most of those were won while playing for Chelsea.

No player has won more caps while being an Arsenal player than Kenny Samson. The left-back appeared 86 times for his nation between 1979 and 1988 and served both club country with distinction throughout that period.

Right-Wing: Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott's England career is widely perceived as something of a disappointment thus far. However, it's worth noting that he has already achieved a significant amount.

Walcott set a new record as he became England's youngest-ever player when he made his debut on May 30, 2006. He was just 17 years and 75 days old when he was brought on as a 65th-minute substitute at Old Trafford in a friendly win over Hungary.

Two years later, he set another international record in Croatia, as he became the youngest-ever England player to score a hat-trick.

He also managed to win on his first 14 England appearances.

Centre-Midfield: David Platt

David Platt may have been forgotten by Arsenal fans, as he only spent a brief period at the club.

However,he remains a hugely significant figure for England fans . His performances in the 1990 World Cup, including a famous volley against Belgium, were particularly memorable.

Platt retired from international football after Euro 1996, having scored an impressive 27 goals in 62 appearances for his country.

Centre-Midfield: Jack Wilshere

Rarely have the hopes of the nation rested so squarely on the shoulders of one player as they do with Jack Wilshere now.

Wilshere is the brightest talent of his generation and the player around whom Roy Hodgson wishes to build his team for 2014.

Injury has restricted him to just seven caps thus far, but surely in years to come he will be remembered as one of Arsenal's greatest internationals.

Left-Wing: Alan Ball

Left-wing was not really Alan Ball's position, but anyone who saw him play will remember he had the quality and versatility to occupy almost any position in the midfield.

Ball, of course, is a World Cup winner. He was the youngest member of Alf Ramsey's 1966 squad, aged just 21. He was magnificent throughout the tournament, and his energy was one of the decisive factors in the final victory over West Germany.

Striker: Ian Wright

Ian Wright's record of nine England goals from 33 caps is relatively impressive. However, he will have retired wondering what might have been.

Despite his obvious quality, Wright was never a favoured pick for either Graham Taylor or Terry Venables. He was never picked with much consistency: He failed to win more than three consecutive starts in and England shirt.

Sadly, this meant Wright's brilliance rarely translated to the international stage.

Only the unfortunate Mick Channon played more times for England without being picked for a World Cup or European Championships squad.

Striker: Cliff Bastin

Cliff Bastin holds the Arsenal record for most England goals.

His feat of scoring 12 times in his 21 caps has stood unchallenged since the 1930s.

Perhaps in years to come the likes of Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will take that mantle, but for now Bastin is a shoe-in for this particular team.

-

What do you think? Should Sol Campbell be in at centre-back? Would you pick Ray Parlour over Theo Walcott? Let us know below.