Filed under: Football
Jack Wilshere's fatigue means he will not be there. Andy Carroll misses out too, through injury. For the rest of the England under-21s, including coach Stuart Pearce, the European Championships is a chance to showcase their talent.Pearce's situation is the most intriguing, with his two-year contract extension yet to be signed. It gives him an opportunity to prove he has progressed since reaching the final two years ago and the semi-finals in the competition before that.
His youngsters were knocked out on penalties in 2007 so winning a shoot-out in Sweden, against the hosts, in 2009 showed progress. He was then accused of letting his emotions run wild in the final when restraining himself during an ugly confrontation with a Germany player on the touchline.
Should he improve again when the 2011 tournament starts at the weekend, it would lead to his name being linked with eventually taking over Fabio Capello, or at least carry on working in the England backroom staff when the Italian's successor is decided.
International football suits Pearce, compared to the day-to-day work of a Premier League manager which, in today's climate, leads to a huge turnover in personnel.
Time between matches means Pearce can prepare meticulously. He asks players to practise penalty shoot-outs after training sessions and asks for high levels of discipline at the team base.
Having seen the disruption caused by Gareth Barry's move to Manchester City - which gathered pace during an international break - he would prefer transfer dealings to be sorted out when his players return from Denmark.
Jordan Henderson, the England under-21 midfielder, looks set to move from Sunderland to Liverpool before the action starts against Spain on Sunday.
But the last thing Pearce needs is transfers to distract his players as they try to get out of a group that also includes Ukraine and Czech Republic.
Blackburn centre-back Phil Jones, who can also play defensive midfield, is attracting interest from Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal, while Daniel Sturridge has decisions to make on his future after a successful loan at Bolton from Chelsea.
How Pearce deals with some of the bright stars of the Premier League will determine how successful they are in the next few weeks.
Pearce himself is part of the reason why these players have high profiles. The under-21's is now seen as a breeding ground for the seniors.
From the team that reached the final last time, Joe Hart, James Milner and Theo Walcott are regulars for Capello. Kieran Gibbs has also been promoted to the seniors.
Clubs will inevitably be interested in the players Pearce has selected, and the test of the man in charge will be to bring together a group of millionaires or potential millionaires and get them playing for each other.
Milner is the example for his players to follow. He made a record 46 under-21 caps and is now a regular for Capello. He believes the current crop can win their tournament.
"Look at how strong the squad is and who is going, and there are players not going for other reasons," he said. "It's a very strong squad and Stuart Pearce will be desperate to go one better again.
"Hopefully we're improving each time, we were in the two I played in so the next step is to go and win it. I know they are a great bunch of lads and the coach will have a great work ethic. They have more than enough ability to win it."
If that happens, Pearce will be as sought after as his players.
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/06/08/its-not-just-england-players-who-have-chance-to-shine-at-under/
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