England Under-17, under-20 World Cup wins no signifier of golden era, says Emile Heskey

The sport has changed significantly since Emile Heskey (right) started his career in 1994. (Source: ANI)

From the outside, English football seems to have unearthed a golden generation. In May, the U20s won the country’s first World Cup title—among all age groups— in 51 years. The U17s followed that up with in October.

But former England striker Emile Heskey says it makes no difference in helping them stake their claim for a spot in their respective clubs. “U17s winning the World Cup, U20s winning the World Cup, a German scout saying the year 2000 (born) kids of England are the best in the world. But I don’t think any of them will play first team football for any Premier League side,” says the 39-year-old.

Indeed, none of them have found a permanent spot in their senior teams. Manchester City’s Philip Foden, the Golden Ball winner, is one of a few. He earned a start against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League, but his appearances have been sporadic. “I don’t think he’ll be a regular at all, at least at Manchester City,” says Heskey, who was in Mumbai promoting an upcoming charity match. “He’ll have to (go out on loan), but then he’ll have to pick the right team that plays similar to City.”

Heskey forsees a similar predicament for Foden’s U17 teammates. “You look at half the U17s, they would get into majority of Championship, League 1 teams. But will they go that low to play? That’s the problem. It’s getting these players, who are probably another golden era, to play first team football.”

The sport has changed significantly since he started his career in 1994. With the amount of money coming into the game, investors demand immediate results to the point that there is immense pressure on both players and managers. “If you look at my generation, players were given a chance. I was in the first team when I was 17, Lampard, Jamie Carragher, Rio Ferdinand, Gerrard, all 17. Michael Owen was 16,” recalls Heskey. “There’s a hell of a lot on the line now. A manager can get sacked after just six games. So you can’t afford to bring in a young kid, who might need 10 games to adjust and understand the pace.”

Among them, the Golden Ball winner at the U20s Dominic Solanke has by far been the most active player of a Premier League side. The 20-year-old has made one start this season at Liverpool, along with eight substitute apperances. But that came only after he switched from Chelsea. “He’s been one of the hottest prospects for the last three years, but he’s getting more of a chance now at Liverpool because of the rotation and there aren’t many players ahead of him,” Heskey adds.

In the younger team, there is Jadon Sancho, who has won two caps for Borussia Dortmund after making an GBP 8 million switch from Manchester City. “He was never going to play there (City), but he’s gone to Dortmund and he’s playing,” Heskey says. “That’s just where we are and the kids have to understand that.”

The shortage of opportunities for youngsters is a problem that has effected England more than any other European country, one that Heskey sees no end to. Even the Football Association has no authority in the matter. “The FA can’t say anything, they’ve sold everything.” The onus now relies on the clubs. “All these places are good for the kids’ education,” he adds. “But then you need to take that to the next level.”