England watch - Lee Cattermole
Lee Cattermole a certain star of the future
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Wednesday, 30, Aug 2006 04:49
Steve McClaren's England era is off and running: Captain John Terry is proving a unanimously popular appointment, Owen Hargreaves, against all odds, appears to be the solution to Sven's fatal midfield conundrum and Becks, Sol and David 'safehands' James are but distant memories.
Now on the agenda are the players of the future. Who will make or break Macca's time in charge of the Three Lions, who will provide the inspiration behind England's charge in Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland and, most importantly, who will help deliver the 2010 World Cup in South Africa?
Each week we take a detailed look at some of the more unheralded players who could outshine their more established international team-mates in four years' time. Soho Square take note.
Second up; a combative midfielder being billed as the next big thing, on Teesside at least.
Name: Lee Cattermole
Position: Midfielder
Club: Middlesbrough
Age at start of South Africa 2010: 22
A bold one, this possibility, but also one not without good reason. Lee 'Catts' Cattermole only has just over a dozen first-team appearances to his name for Middlesbrough having made his debut for the club last season.
But those following his progress will agree that this 18-year-old has already shown signs of great promise and his inclusion in the England under-19 squad is testament to this. Now, a place in the more senior squads surely awaits him.
A combative midfielder at heart, Cattermole prefers playing in the centre and admits to having based his game on Roy Keane. He has already demonstrated a similar passion as the United legend and he laughs at how he still receives banter from his team-mates for crying after Boro's 4-0 home defeat against Aston Villa last February.
But combined with this passion is an outstanding creative spark, first ignited by another of his heroes, Boro favourite Juninho, and these key attributes have led to quietly growing suggestions he may well be suited for the international stage.
While Owen Hargreaves is flavour of the month in the England camp, head coach Steve McClaren is familiar with Cattermole, having helped his development at the Riverside, and this also is very much in the Boro starlet's favour.
Indeed, McClaren's fondness for the youngsters he helped cultivate at Boro shouldn't be underestimated as the perplexing regularity of Stewart Downing's inclusion in England squads clearly supports.
Cattermole evidently concurs he could make the step up, stating in a recent interview that within five years he sees himself "playing regularly in the Premiership and pushing for the full England squad".
But his time in the spotlight could come prior to that and if the reviewers continue to rave about his performances, ranging from goalscoring exploits to effective box-to-box coverage, we could well be seeing more of Catts in an England shirt in the very near future. Watch this space.
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