Keegan reaps rewards

As a stepping stone between the Youth and Senior England sides, the Under-21 team plays a pivotal role in the education of players in this country. So pivotal, in fact, that, of the 27 players named on Thursday by Kevin Keegan, some 23 of them have represented their country at Under-21 level.

West Ham's gifted 18-year-old midfielder Joe Cole had the chance to showcase his special talents in the Under-21's last outing against Georgia, with Kevin Keegan revealing that his "tremendous" performance in the game was one of the clinching factors in his selection for the Seniors this time round.

Although Cole's inclusion has captured the imagination of the press and public, it is arguably Liverpool's Jamie Carragher who best exemplifies the opportunities that exist for players to progress through England's ranks. The versatile Carragher currently holds the record number of Under-21 caps, having made an impressive 27 appearances at that level. It was a fact not lost on Keegan who said of Carragher's inclusion:

"Jamie is a gem of a player. Nobody has played more often for the Under-21s. No question - he deserves his chance."

Howard Wilkinson, The Football Association's Technical Director and coach of the Under-21s, also expressed his satisfaction at the way in which those players that he had helped to groom have made the progression through to the senior squad.

"All of us in the Under 21s are extremely pleased," he enthused. "This is what the whole process is all about."

Wilkinson went on to explain that encouraging players to progress through the ranks in one of the fundamental principles of the F.A.'s International Development Strategy.

"We believe that once you have identified a player and you are convinced that he is good enough technically, temperamentally and psychologically, then you have to stick with that," he said.

"We call it the 'pick and stick' philosophy. It is our aim to create a pool of players for the Senior coach to pick from, players who have all been schooled in the same way and understand what is required of them. The Under-21s plays an important role but this process begins long before, starting at Under-15 level."

Only four of the 27 players named in the Senior squad by Keegan have not first plied their trade at Under-21 level. They are the Manchester United pair of Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, Aston Villa skipper Gareth Southgate and Sunderland striker Kevin Phillips, who himself has made the meteoric leap from non-league football to the international stage in only five years.

Certainly there is no better incentive for those charges called upon by Howard Wilkinson than to know that, if they listen and learn, there is every chance that they could follow Cole and Carragher into the Senior squad.

Those that have graduated from the Under-21s to Kevin Keegan's current senior squad are: