Despite a surprise 2-1 defeat to Czech Republic last week, the England national team is looking as strong as ever. They followed up that loss with a 6-0 thrashing of Bulgaria. It was the fifth time they scored four or more goals in a qualifier in this campaign.
What’s more impressive though is the wealth of young talent coming through the ranks while the Three Lions continue to destroy their opposition. The average age of the starting line-up on Monday was just a shade over 25, with the eldest of the group being 29-year-old Jordan Henderson.
one look at the bench shows that Gareth Southgate pretty much has the next generation lined up and ready to go: Chelsea pair Mason Mount and Fikayo Tomori are both 20 and 21 respectively; goalkeeper Dean Henderson is 22, the same age as Tammy Abraham, who already looks like he could be an elite finisher, and Liverpool defender Joe Gomez; Jadon Sancho is still only 19-years-old, as per iSports API.
Then you have the usual starters who didn’t even get a minute off the bench at the Stadion Vasil Levski, the likes of Declan Rice (20) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (21), and those who missed out on being selected such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka (21), which just goes to show the depth the team currently possesses.
Southgate’s decision to blood in young players early is paying dividends already and could pay off at Euro 2020 and major tournaments down the line. Looking back at the list of players to have made their bow in their teens, there is a high success rate, justifying their selection in the first place.
England’s youngest debutants in the Premier League era, all data collects from iSports API.
Callum Hudson-Odoi – 18 years & 135 days
The Chelsea winger only made his debut this past March in a 5-0 home win against the Czech Republic, which he followed up with an assist in the 5-1 victory over Montenegro. At the time he had made 22 first team appearances for his club, scoring five goals.
A ruptured Achilles tendon towards the end of the season was a big blow to Hudson-Odoi, and meant he missed out on the Uefa Nations League semi-final against Netherlands in the summer. He is back from that injury now, easing himself back into action, and scored a wonderful goal for the England U21’s following a thrilling solo run against Austria.
Michael Owen – 18 years & 59 days
The second half of Michael Owen’s career didn’t provide much fodder to write home about, the striker was an absolute sensation when he first broke through at Liverpool. After scoring 15 goals in his first 33 senior appearances at club level, Glenn Hoddle saw fit to call him up for a demoralising 2-0 defeat to Chile in 1997.
Owen scored his first goal for the national team on his fourth cap, which turned out to be the winner in a friendly fixture with Morocco. The lighting quick youngster then announced himself to the world by scoring an iconic solo goal against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup in France. He went on to score 40 times in 89 appearances for his country, an excellent scoring record all told, according to iSports API.
Raheem Sterling – 17 years & 342 days
Manchester City‘s wily winger became just the fifth 17-year-old of all-time, and only the third in the Premier League era, to play for the England senior team.
Sterling’s debut was a rollercoaster of a game – the famous 4-2 friendly defeat in Sweden. The then-Liverpool player was a handful for the Swedes, winning the free-kick that led to England’s second goal, and Danny Welbeck scored a nice volley, but it was Zlatan Ibrahimovic who stole the show. The striker scored all four goals for the hosts, including an insane long-range bicycle kick.
At the time he had made 20 first team appearances for the Reds. It took him a while to establish himself as an England regular, but Sterling is now arguably the nation’s star player. He currently has 55 caps and has provided 12 goals and 20 assists for the team, as per iSports API.
Wayne Rooney – 17 years & 111 days
It’s easy to forget just how much excitement surrounded the emergence of Wayne Rooney as a 17-year-old. The young striker burst onto the scene at Everton with his stunning winner against Arsenal and looked to have all the makings of a world class player.
Whether or not the former Manchester United forward truly fulfilled that potential is up for debate, but his explosiveness at such a young age was a sight to behold. Sven Goran Eriksson gave him his national debut after just 26 first team appearances, in which he had scored five times, according to iSports API.
It wasn’t until his sixth cap that the boy wonder broke his duck, but once he got off the mark he didn’t stop. He made a huge impression at Euro 2004, scoring four goals in four games. That tournament was probably the peak of his international career, but he went on to find the net 53 times for England, making him the all-time record goalscorer, pipping Bobby Charlton to top spot.
Theo Walcott – 17 years & 75 days
The youngest of the lot, but the one with the least distinguished international career (discounting Hudson-Odoi’s fledgling career, of course).
Theo Walcott was hailed as the new Thierry Henry when he broke through, especially after Arsene Wenger chose to buy him Southampton for just £5 million. Sven gave him his England debut after 23 first team appearances and took him to the 2006 World Cup, but he didn’t play a single minute in Germany.
He failed to measure up to expectations over the course of his career, his inability to evolve hampering his progress. He did, though, have his moments in a white shirt, the highlight being his hat-trick against Croatia in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
Walcott didn’t make the final squad for that tournament, however, and he would only feature at one major competition for England in his career, Euro 2012. He ended up with 47 caps, the last of which came in a friendly draw with Spain in 2016.
For more information, please visit iSportsAPI.com.
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