Nathaniel Clyne Deserves a Place in Roy Hodgson's England Squad

Nathaniel Clyne has been turning heads with a mixture of impressive performances and eye-catching goals for Southampton. England have European qualifiers against San Marino and Estonia coming up at the beginning of October.

Manager Roy Hodgson should give Clyne an opportunity to shine.

Since scoring on the opening day of the Premier League season at Liverpool, the right-back has played every minute for the Saints. A wonder goal to knock Arsenal out of the League Cup has undoubtedly been the highlight, but he has also contributed to four clean sheets.

Southampton have surprised many people with their flying start to the season. One thing that has not come as a surprise is the form of Clyne himself.

He is a full-back of the modern era; a valuable attacking asset with the ability to overlap, get to the by-line and create chances as well as a solid, determined defender. Clyne's work rate and positional play contribute to the defence, and his pace and athleticism mean he is always available going forward.

The right-back position for England has not been consistently filled by the same player since Gary Neville retired in 2007. Liverpool's Glen Johnson has played the most often but is currently injured, as is Tottenham's Kyle Walker.

Both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, ostensibly central defenders, have also been given opportunities by Hodgson, but neither have looked comfortable. Arsenal's Calum Chambers, who last season provided competition for Clyne at Southampton, has played for England but is another who often switches from centre-back to right-back.   

Young Everton defender John Stones has played in the position in England's last two games. He is clearly an exciting and talented player but appears to be more naturally suited to centre-back, where he recently excelled for his club in the Merseyside derby. Playing him out of position could hamper his development. Stones should be providing competition for his club mate Phil Jagielka in central defence rather than being shunted out wide.

All of these other options in the right-back position have flaws. Both Johnson and Walker can be suspect defensively, and Smalling and Jones are too cautious in attack. Clyne offers a genuine solution. If allowed to play his natural game, he can offer another point of attack down the right-hand side as well as maintaining concentration in defence.

Hodgson visited St Mary's frequently last season and regularly spoke of his admiration for the club's English talent. He also gave England debuts to former Saints Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert and Chambers as well as Jay Rodriguez.

Southampton manager Ronald Koeman believes Clyne is ready to play for England.

"I think he is ready," Koeman recently told Paul Doyle of The Guardian. He has a lot of experience. He is playing very well...and he is an option for the national coach."

Hodgson's previous recognition of the club shows he is willing to give chances to players who put in good performances every week. Rather than playing a centre-back out of position, Hodgson should look for a long-term solution.

If he is picking his side on form, then Clyne should be in it. He is the best English right-back available.