England Euro 12: Young Players Key to Deep Tournament Run

The English national football team has had a streak of underwhelming performances in major tournaments, but a new youth movement can change all that.

The old guard of Steven Gerrard, John Terry and even Wayne Rooney has had its chance to prove that they can carry the team to glory.

Now, they will need help from the starlets in order to turn in an admirable result.

Here are three young players that will be necessary to any run through the knockout stages.

Danny Welbeck, Winger/Striker, 21 years old

Danny Welbeck is a Manchester United youth product who is quickly emerging as a top-class striker. 

This past year, he had a successful season at Old Trafford, scoring nine goals in 30 English Premier League appearances. He has plenty of pace and a nose for the goal once he gets into the penalty box. 

A necessary quality for any young player on the international stage is versatility. Footballers who can play multiple positions have a greater chance of cracking the starting-11 over established veterans.

Welbeck can be effective on the wing or at center forward. With Wayne Rooney out for the first two matches after a red card in October of 2011, Welbeck will have to put pressure up the middle as a striker. Once Rooney returns, he will likely make his mark on the wing.

Welbeck’s talents will be badly needed when Rooney is out, and the two club teammates will need to score plenty of goals for England to move through the knockout stages. 

Phil Jones, Defender/Midfielder, 20 years old

Few players are as versatile as Phil Jones. The Manchester United youngster can play center back, outside back or defensive center midfielder.

The latter position is likely where he will be needed at the start of the tournament, but if there are any injuries or players in poor form along the back line, he is an excellent candidate to fill in.

Jones has the speed and stamina to play sideline-to-sideline in the midfield. As a true defender, he is a fearsome tackler and wins most of his aerial battles.

But his ability to go forward is what allows him to be successful playing in front of the back four. He only scored two goals last season for United, but they both came during his six starts as a central midfielder, as noted by Whoscored.com. 

Jones will likely be moved around throughout the tournament, and he will need to be in good form at every position he plays if England hopes to have a successful campaign.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Winger, 18 years old

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, commonly known as the Ox, is not as versatile as the other youngsters who are featured, but he has the ideal qualities to make a significant impact as a substitute for his team. 

As his nickname suggests, he plays aggressively and fearlessly attacks defenses. He is strong on the ball and has fantastic pace.

He only made 16 appearances for Arsenal this past season, and 10 of those were as a substitute, so he is inexperienced. However, his energy, pace and willingness to go right at his defender will create problems for tired defenses. 

If Roy Hodgson sees fatigue along the back line for any of England’s opponents, he would be wise to put Oxlade-Chamberlain in the game. His attacking talents on the wing will be a dangerous weapon that England can use throughout Euro 2012.