Blackburn's recent goal hero at Old Trafford David Thompson is one of the player

Blackburn's recent goal hero at Old Trafford David Thompson is one of the players England striker Tony Cottee thinks will make their England debut in 2003...

Six players made their England debuts in 2002 (Can you guess who they were? Answers at the end of this article).

So if Sven Goran Eriksson gives another six their full international papers in 2003, who will they be?

Former West Ham, Everton and England striker Tony Cottee gazes into his crystal ball and names his half-dozen - including David Thompson, who scored Blackburn's Worthington Cup semi-final first-leg goal at Old Trafford .

DAVID THOMPSON
(Midfield, Blackburn Rovers)
Age: 25

His career was going nowhere in the Nationwide League earlier this season; now everyone knows how good he is.

He's a small player but uses his size to his advantage, as I had to. His balance is good, he's skilful and makes up for any lack of height with his battling qualities.

Overall, he has been excellent since arriving from Coventry and I thought he took his goal against Manchester United on Tuesday night very well.

I was aware of David when I played for Everton and he was at the Liverpool Youth Academy but I don't think anybody at that stage could have predicted he would be a future England prospect. Now I'm sure he will play for his country.

He was in Sven's last England squad against Slovakia and Macedonia and he's there to stay in my opinion. A very shrewd signing by Graeme Souness.

WAYNE ROONEY
(Striker, Everton)
Age: 17

I was 21 when I got called up by England which was relatively young but I think Wayne will beat me by four years! Of the six players in my England list, Wayne is quite simply the most outstanding prospect of the lot.

I covered last season's FA Youth Cup Final between Everton and Aston Villa for Sky and was blown away by him then.

Like Michael Owen, he seems to be capable of playing at the very top level as a teenager. But Wayne seems to be able to do a little bit of everything, besides his pace he is strong enough to hold people off and has the vision to pass the ball around as well.

I always prefer England players to be first-team regulars with their clubs which might count against Wayne in February but there's little doubt he will be a first-team fixture at some point in 2003 and once that happens I don't see any reason to leave him out of the England set-up.

I've seen games at Everton which are boring until Wayne gets the ball, he makes you sit up in your seat immediately - and there aren't many that can do that.

I don't think he will be phased by meeting up with the big names in the England squad, it makes me nostalgic for the time I joined up with the likes of Bryan Robson and Glenn Hoddle!

JAMES BEATTIE
(Striker, Southampton)
Age: 24

He is the sort of player that gives England an alternative up front. It's good that we have so many quick, pacy strikers but if we want someone to help with the physical load, this could be the player.

Emile Heskey is probably the only other one around but he isn't playing so well at the moment. In contrast, Beattie is bang in form and I think he will be given a chance.

He has gone on scoring runs before and then dried up, but he has a lot more to his game as well; he is brave, a good target man, an old-fashioned type of striker in many ways. If he can stay consistent, he will be a real asset.

I played alongside a few target men in my career including Graeme Sharp and Emile at Leicester. There's no doubt those type of players take the physical burden off a smaller striker; I remember Emile was a big help to me at Leicester towards the end of my career, he would smash and crash into defenders leaving me to pick up the pieces so to speak!

JERMAIN DEFOE
(Striker, West Ham)
Age: 20

I do corporate hospitality at my former club West Ham so I've been able to keep a close eye on Jermain's progress.

He's had a difficult season playing up front on his own for West Ham but it will do him good in the long-term, it has been a real steep learning curve for him.

Even when things haven't gone well for him and the team, he has battled hard and carried on scoring; he got one at Blackburn and then two against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup on Saturday.

He seems a very level-headed lad and with his finishing ability I don't see any reason why he can't do what Darius Vassell has done for England.

CHRIS KIRKLAND
(Goalkeeper, Liverpool)
Age: 21

England seem to have discovered the next generation of goalkeepers, which is great news. Paul Robinson and Richard Wright are ahead of Chris at the moment in terms of first-team experience but for me, Chris is the future.

I've seen him at under-21 level and thought to myself almost straight away that he is the real thing. Everything in his overall game looks good,from his positional sense to shot-stopping.

He is a very talented goalkeeper and I am really pleased to see him given a chance at Liverpool this season.

So far he hasn't let anyone down and I don't think full England honours are that far away.

MICHAEL DAWSON
(Defender, Nottingham Forest)
Age: 19

I saw him at West Ham on Saturday and he struck me as a big, tall commanding centre-half, who can play a bit. He joined in the last England training session so it's obvious the right people are aware of him.

I think if he makes a breakthrough, it will be towards the end of the year - at the moment he is an outstanding prospect who just needs club football under his belt.

I couldn't really compare him to Rio Ferdinand, Rio was very athletic as a teenager and you felt he could play up front or in midfield as well.

Dawson very much looks like a central defender to me, albeit one who is comfortable in possession.

The six players who made their England debuts during 2002 are: Lee Bowyer, Wayne Bridge, David Dunn, Ledley King, Michael Ricketts and Darius Vassell

Tony Cottee was speaking to Joe Bernstein