With Gareth Southgate announcing his 23 man squad to take to Russia this summer, one thing which is always debated is who has been left out. Instead the focus should be on the players who will be taking part this summer.
Only 4 years ago Leicester City’s Harry Maguire was playing in League One with Sheffield United and only 2 years ago, he travelled to France for the Euro’s as a fan, not a player.
He now finds himself on his way and packing his bag to the World Cup in Russia with England this summer, something he described as a “dream come true.”
Maguire isn’t the only England player to come through the lower ranks of the English Football League, with 17 out of the 23 man squad having played in the Football League at some point in their career.
Ex-Cheltenham loanee Goalkeeper Jack Butland has also been included in the squad.
Butland played for the Robins in 2011/12, racking up 24 appearances on loan from Birmingham and is now someone many expect to be the first-choice keeper for England in the World Cup.
These examples of players goes to show how important the lower leagues are in helping develop young players, Dele Alli started his career at MK Dons before signing for Tottenham.
Like Maguire, Alli was playing in League One only 3 years ago and will be expected to start for the Three Lions.
When thinking about the future and loan possibilities for potential England stars, players such as Phil Foden of Manchester City and Eddie Nketiah of Arsenal would benefit highly from cutting their teeth lower down the football pyramid.
It would be vital for these two to gain experience instead of wasting valuable time in the squads of their parent clubs who simply can’t provide them with game time at such a young age.
A great example of an 18-year old using a lesser stage to build a career is Ryan Sessegnon.
The Fulham full-back turned winger has had a brilliant season scoring 16 goals and providing 7 assists.
These many examples of young players playing in the Football League only proves the lower league loan move formula continues to be a success and will hopefully be a success for many years to come.
