England Watch – Shaun Wright-Phillips
Wednesday, 22 Nov 2006 15:53
Shaun Wright-Phillips is spotted during a rare outing in a Chelsea shirt
Despite David Beckham's McClaren-induced exile from the national set-up, Shaun Wright-Phillips finds himself slipping down the right-midfield pecking order.
Once the darling of the press for his mazy runs, pacey breaks and all-action style of play, Wright-Phillips has been little more than a bit-part player at all levels since his multi-million pound move to Chelsea.
He clearly figures behind fellow fleet-footed dwarf Aaron Lennon and England and Liverpool stalwart Steven Gerrard in the national coach's thinking for the right-hand side.
Unfortunately for Wright-Phillips, this situation is unlikely to change before South Africa 2010 unless he can find regular club football at Stamford Bridge. This or, in what is a more likely scenario, he moves on to pastures new and puts his marginal experience of Chelsea's first-team behind him.
Name: Shaun Wright-Phillips
Position: Right Midfield
Club: Chelsea
Age by South Africa 2010: 28
Famously, Shaun Wright-Phillips is the son of Arsenal legend Ian Wright - although he will surely not thank any commentator for mentioning this fact again, it is so often quoted.
Still, despite his adoptive father's relentless and monotonous championing of his claims for an England place, Wright-Phillips was somewhat surprisingly omitted from the World Cup squad that travelled to Germany.
Many critics blamed his £21 million move to the Premiership champions for this - he had been a much-vaunted future regular for the England XI as he burned Premiership left-backs with his pace and close control. However, he has been something of a forgotten man since Jose Mourinho started to overlook him in the massed Chelsea ranks.
Chelsea's Portuguese coach has never really given Wright-Phillips the sort of run in the team that normal clubs would feel is warranted for a £20-million-plus signing and his form, and no doubt his confidence, has suffered as a result.
The new streamlined Chelsea formation of choice - using summer signing Michael Ballack alongside Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Claude Makelele in a central hub of a midfield playing without recognised wingers - gives Wright-Phillips little chance of a meaningful inclusion, barring injuries.
What is perhaps more shocking is that Wright-Phillips continues to appear in an England shirt, despite being devoid of a goal or any kind of notable contribution for club or country since May, 2005. On his last international appearance in a friendly against Holland, Wright-Phillips looked rusty and out of touch and, quite clearly, regular first-team football is what is needed.
Rumours abound that clubs such as West Ham and Spurs may be lining up January bids for the 25-year-old and, from an England perspective, it would seem that a move away from the star-studded Stamford Bridge outfit would be in the best interests of the player.
Without any kind of progression at club level, the famous son of Ian Wright could be doomed to the same sort of patchy England career as his father before him, and as a result may yet be on another long road to missing out on the next World Cup Finals.
England's 2010 World Cup squad
*Players in bold – tickets to South Africa booked already
Goalkeepers
Paul Robinson
Possibles:
Chris Kirkland,
Ben Foster,
Rob Green,
Scott Carson
Defenders
John Terry,
Ashley Cole,
Rio Ferdinand,
Jamie Carragher
Possibles:
Glen Johnson,
Joleon Lescott,
Micah Richards,
Ledley King,
Michael Dawson,
Anton Ferdinand,
Leighton Baines,
Justin Hoyte,
Curtis Davies,
Wes Brown,
Phil Bardsley,
Michael Mancienne
Midfielders
Steven Gerrard,
Frank Lampard,
Owen Hargreaves,
Joe Cole,
Michael Carrick
Possibles:
Aaron Lennon,
Tom Huddlestone,
Nigel Reo-Coker,
Lee Cattermole,
Shaun Wright-Phillips,
Stewart Downing,
Giles Barnes,
James Morrison,
Kieran Richardson
Forwards
Wayne Rooney,
Michael Owen
Possibles:
David Nugent,
Theo Walcott,
James Vaughan,
Gabriel Agbonlahor,
Jermain Defoe,
Peter Crouch,
Darren Bent,
Dean Ashton,
Cameron Jerome