Filed under: England, Euro 2012, Football
Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson heard their names called out in an England squad for the first time in their careers this evening for next week's friendly meeting with France.But, while Fabio Capello's decision to include the north-east based pair will not be considered a major surprise, the Italian did offer a couple of stunning selections - the Cardiff City forward Jay Bothroyd and Manchester United defender Chris Smalling.
Sir Alex Ferguson has been glowing about Smalling's displays in the centre of the United defence this season although he has only played in cup competitions and has yet to start a league game.
But it is the choice of former Arsenal trainee Bothroyd, who has scored 15 goals in 16 appearances for the Welsh club this season which will create the largest stir.
Those two selections, plus a number of other names in the squad, certainly suggest that it is no longer the case that players must be appearing regularly in the Premier League to come into consideration for Capello's squads - a possible sign that the England manager is prepared to take bold steps to sweep away the disastrous memories of South Africa.
Carroll, who has scored seven times already for Newcastle, has earned headlines on and off the field this season and it will be intriguing to see how he acclimatises to the international stage.
In all, Capello has named nine new players from the squad that drew their last outing, 0-0 against Montenegro in mid-October.
Micah Richards, the Manchester City full-back who has earned praise from Roberto Mancini for the way in which he has resurrected his career at Eastlands this season, is called up for the first time under Capello's management and under-21 manager Stuart Pearce will presumably have put in a good word about the player he coached at City.
Arsenal pair Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs are also in the squad with many England fans hoping the former gets his chance to show what he can do on the international stage and add to the seven minutes he played on his only other appearance, a friendly win over Hungary.
Of the big names to miss out, Shaun Wright-Phillips' exile at Manchester City has cost him his place, there is no spot for Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole and his club mate Glen Johnson has been recovering from a groin injury.
Bolton's Kevin Davies must surely be wondering what he has done to deserve being axed from the squad after a decent enough 20-minute cameo against Montenegro - especially as Wayne Rooney, Darren Bent, Jermain Defoe and Bobby Zamora are all unavailable - although the inclusion of Carroll presumably worked against him, given the strikers' similarity.
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Source: http://football.fanhouse.co.uk/2010/11/13/jay-bothroyd-one-of-four-new-names-in-england-squad-shock/
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