Mancienne: A New Hope or Desperation?

When Fabio Capello named his England squad on Saturday (15 November, 2008) for the game against Germany in Berlin in midweek, there was one surprise inclusion.

Having never started a premier league game, and currently playing in the championship for Wolves, where he is on-loan, my guess is that Michael Mancienne was has shocked as anybody to find out he'd received the call-up from Capello.

But is Mancienne's inclusion a sign that Capello is willing to give young players a chance by linking up with the squad for some international experience, or is it a case that Sir Trevor Brooking's preachings of a dearth in English talent may very well be true?

It is not unprecedented for Capello to name relative 'unknowns' in his England sides. After all, Joe Lewis of Peterbrough United got the phone call from Signor Capello during his first year in charge. But the difference between that situation and this is that Joe Lewis is a goalkeeper, a position which only needs new blood every so often due to the age that goalkeepers can play on until.

With Mancienne, it strikes me that the best of our young defensive talents and the future of the England national side, can't get a game at a premiership club.

Sir Trevor Brooking has been bemoaning the levels of investment in the youth of today's game for several years now, but yet the statistics show that we are still someway behind our foreign counterparts in terms of youth development facilities and coaching.

The much maligned Burton centre of excellence is still a way off being completed and when looking around the premier league, it is hard to pick out too many young English players that you could see stepping into the under-achieving shoes of our 'golden generation'.

Theo Walcott, Gabby Agbonlahor, and Ashley Young are the stand-out players who immediately spring to mind; But are any of them going to reach the lofty heights scaled by modern luminaries such as David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, and Rio Ferdinand? Doubtful.

Maybe I'm being overly-critical in placing too much emphasis on the Premier League as a source of talent production. Players starting at lower league clubs do 'come good' occasionally. Just look at Dean Ashton and Joleon Lescott has shining examples, but neither of those players were picked for the national side before moving to the big league.

The football league is one of the most competitive leagues in Europe and the work being done to bring through talent at places such as Crystal Palace and Southampton shouldn't be overlooked but with little protection from the FA (See: John Bostock being 'pinched' by Spurs) and with fewer financial resources available—the production line will not be never ending.

So, the question exists. Does Fabio Capello see Mancienne has a future England regular, whom giving international experience to early-on will benefit? Or, is there simply a lack of options available to him at present?

Only Capello has the answer.