England Watch - Anton Ferdinand
Ferdinand on under-21 duty
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Wednesday, 20, Dec 2006 05:35
As the third member of the famous Ferdinand triumvirate that have been such great servants of the England international set-up, Anton is still young and yet to fulfil the potential he undoubtedly has.
The younger brother of current international Rio and cousin of former England regular Les, Anton Ferdinand is currently plying his trade in the area of his birth for east London club West Ham United and is emerging as quite a find for the Hammers.
At the tender age of 21, Ferdinand is already considered by many Upton Park regulars as a key member of the current squad and they make no secret of the fact that his recent absence through injury has coincided with a slump in form and a penchant for leaking vital goals.
So will the young centre-back follow his older brother to South Africa in 2010? Alistair Potter assesses his chances.
Name: Anton Ferdinand
Position: Centre-back
Club: West Ham United
Age by South Africa 2010: 25
Anton Ferdinand is a product of the West Ham youth academy and has already made his mark on the Premiership with some impressive defensive displays and some equally impressive goals - in particular one spectacular volley against Fulham last season.
The young Londoner made his full debut for the Hammers on the opening day of the 2003/04 season against Preston North End and became a firm fan favourite for his youthful exuberance and tough-tackling yet technically-astute approach. This, coupled with his mature head in pressure situations, led to him being a first-team regular at just 18 years of age and also earned him 14 England under-21 caps.
There have been calls for the young defender to be elevated to the full international set-up and, according to Ferdinand himself, he was invited to be part of the World Cup stand-by list for Germany 2006. Unfortunately for him, he was unable to accept Sven-Goran Eriksson's offer due to injury and his place was taken by another emerging defensive talent - Tottenham's Michael Dawson.
If Ferdinand is to earn a place in the full squad, he will have to emerge above a talented crop of central defensive prospects (see below). He will also be forced to work even harder in order to usurp either his older brother or current England captain John Terry from their virtually assured starting berths.
On the bright side, however, a Ferdinand partnership at the heart of England's defence would surely not draw the same kind of wrath from fans as a pairing of the Neville brothers has done before. His chances for 2010? At current pace, very good indeed.
England's 2010 World Cup squad
*Players in bold - tickets to South Africa booked already
Goalkeepers
Paul Robinson
Possibles: Chris Kirkland, Ben Foster, Robert Green, Scott Carson
Defenders
John Terry, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand
Possibles: Glen Johnson, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Ledley King, Michael Dawson, Anton Ferdinand, Wes Brown, Leighton Baines, Curtis Davies, Justin Hoyte, Michael Mancienne, Phil Bardsley
Midfielders
Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick
Possibles: Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone, Nigel Reo-Coker, Lee Cattermole, Shaun Wright-Phillips, James Morrison, Stewart Downing, Kieran Richardson
Forwards
Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen (if fit by then)
Possibles: David Nugent, Theo Walcott, James Vaughan, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Dean Ashton, Darren Bent, Cameron Jerome