Football Matters: England Prediction from 2010

I recently did a two part article regarding a prediction that was made by the Daily Mail back in 2007 as to what the England XI might look like in 2016. In the first part of the article I took a deeper look at the careers of those eleven players since 2007 and in the second part I looked at England's current squad of 23 for the European Championships and why they weren't considered by the Daily Mail. Due to the young average age of England's squad this was largely down to the fact that a great number of them were playing schoolboy and youth football still. If you want to read those two articles first they are here: Part One Part Two

Writing that blog did get me thinking of a list that my best mate Rob and I put together back in 2010 while watching the World Cup of players we thought might feature at the 2018 tournament. I found the list the other days which I'd archived on an old Excel sheet and it's interesting how some were clear hits and others were wild misses. We put together 33 names at the time which I'll list by position below.

GOALKEEPER

Name: Joe Hart Date of Birth: 19/4/87

Age in 2010: 23 Age in 2018:31 Club in 2010: Manchester City Current Club: Manchester City International Honours: 61 caps

Hart made his debut in 2008 in a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago as a half time substitute for then England number one David James. It's no surprise therefore to see that we put him as our number one goalkeeper for 2018 as he was in Fabio Capello's 2010 squad along with James and Robert Green. Since then Hart has established himself as the number one choice between the sticks but in coming years he will face increasing pressure from Jack Butland in my opinion and mistakes like he made against Wales by failing to stop Gareth Bale's long distance free kick will not help his cause. As I said in an earlier blog reviewing Roy Hodgson's original squad of 26 the City keeper is error prone and when they do happen they often cost us goals in important matches. Thankfully goals from Jamie Vardy and Daniel Sturridge dug us out of a hole against Wales but we should not have needed that to be the case. RESULT: HIT

Name: Ross Turnbull Date of Birth: 4/1/85

Age in 2010: 25 Age in 2018: 33 Club in 2010: Chelsea Current Club: Leeds United International Honours: No caps, last played for U19 in 2004

Back in 2010 Turnbull was the back-up to Petr Cech at Chelsea and the expectation was that he could go on to either challenge the Czech Republic keeper for his place in time or replace him should he ever leave. He'd signed in 2009 from Middlesbrough on a free transfer when his contract ended. Things didn't turn out well for him at Stamford Bridge though and in four years he played in just 19 games in all competitions for the Blues. He was released by them in the summer of 2013, was picked up by Doncaster Rovers (then in the Championship) and after a spell at League One Barnsley he joined Leeds United in the summer of 2015. RESULT: MISS

RIGHT BACK

Name: Micah Richards Date of Birth: 24/6/88

Age in 2010: 22 Age in 2018:30 Club in 2010: Manchester City Current Club: Aston Villa International Honours: 13 caps, 1 goal

The only right back on the list who has been more of a centre back since his move to Aston Villa. I still have a lot of time for Richards and believe that if Villa can gain immediate promotion or if he can move to a better Premier League side there is still hope for his international future. Time is certainly running out for the former City youth player though who made his senior club debut in 2005 and his international debut in 2006 in a friendly against Netherlands. In 2010 he was being ignored by Capello for his England squads but we did believe that the next manager would see more in him. He played once since when Stuart Pearce (then caretaker manager) picked him in 2012 for another Netherlands friendly but has not featured since. When his City career dried up he went on loan to Fiorentina but when his first team opportunities failed to materialise he returned to England at the end of the season and joined Aston Villa. Unfortunately Villa were a shambles last season and now Richards is one of numerous players seemingly too good for the division in which they find themselves. The next twelve months will be crucial for his career.

RESULT: NEAR MISS

LEFT BACK

Name: Kieran Gibbs Date of Birth: 26/9/89

Age in 2010: 21 Age in 2018:29 Club in 2010: Arsenal Current Club: Arsenal International Honours: 10 caps

Gibbs made his Arsenal debut in 2007 against Sheffield United in the League Cup and was uncapped at the time of the 2010 World Cup as the list was compiled. He was a regular for the England U21 though and was playing more and more for Arsenal to show his potential for club and country. He made his England debut soon after the 2010 tournament in a friendly against Hungary as he replaced Ashley Cole at left back. After Cole we had Leighton Baines as the regular left back but after being dropped for Euro 2016 it looks like the Everton full back's international future may be over. Instead we now have Gibbs battling for the left back spot not only with Danny Rose and Ryan Bertrand who are both in the squad in France but also Luke Shaw of Manchester United. Whether Gibbs will be in the 2018 squad remains to be seen but he'll certainly be in with a shout if he can maintain a regular place in the Arsenal line up.

RESULT: HIT

Name: Joe Mattock Date of Birth: 11/5/90

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018:28 Club in 2010: West Bromwich Albion Current Club: Rotherham United International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2009

This one was perhaps a bit of a wild punt but Mattock had just completed a great first season with West Brom gaining promotion to the Premier League after his £1m move from Leicester City the summer before. Then 20 years old, Mattock looked to have a great future ahead of him when we did the list but rather than stay with the squad the following season he went on loan to Sheffield United and the team were relegated from the Championship to League One. The following season saw two loan spells with Championship sides Portsmouth and Brighton & Hove Albion before he was released by West Brom at the end of the season. Since then he spent three seasons with Sheffield Wednesday and then last season was part of the Rotherham United team that narrowly avoided relegation to League One.

RESULT: MISS

CENTRE BACK

Name: Gary Cahill Date of Birth: 19/12/85

Age in 2010: 24 Age in 2018: 32 Club in 2010: Bolton Wanderers Current Club: Chelsea International Honours: 45 caps and 3 goals

Cahill signed for Bolton Wanderers in January 2008 from Aston Villa after failing to hold down a place at the Midlands club and spending the start of the season on loan to Sheffield United. Within no time though not only had Cahill become their strongest centre back but he was being discussed as a future England centre back and a target for the top Premier League sides. His international debut came after the 2010 World Cup in a September win over Bulgaria but he had been called into the squad a year before without making an appearance. In January 2012 Chelsea signed Cahill for around £7m and he has since played nearly 200 times for them, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa Cup and Champions League. He is a current member of England's Euro 2016 squad and has every chance of still being there in two years time. RESULT: HIT

Name: Jack Rodwell Date of Birth: 11/3/91

Age in 2010: 19 Age in 2018:27 Club in 2010: Everton Current Club: Sunderland International Honours: 3 caps

While Rodwell isn't quote the next Julian Joachim or Danny Cadamateri his career certainly hasn't continued the upward trajectory it appeared to be on back in 2010. Listed here as a centre back but he has since become more of a defensive midfielder. The former Everton youth player made his debut for them in 2007 against Dutch side AZ Alkmaar and by the 2010 World Cup he was a regular in the senior side as well as the England U21 team. It seemed a certainty then that Rodwell would play for England and he did just that in a November 2011 friendly against Spain. Unfortunately since then he only featured twice more, a start against Italy three days later and a substitute appearance in June 2013 against Brazil in a friendly. Things started to slide when the big money move became a poisoned chalice. He was bought by Manchester City for £12m-£15m in the summer of 2012 but in two years at the club made only 25 appearances in all competitions. Those two years saw him drop from being a promising young midfielder with an England future to an average player at a high profile club. A £10m move to Sunderland provided him with regular football but the team narrowly avoided relegation to the Championship this season. He's still only 25 years old and has time to rebuild his career but it will be even harder for him now than it was five years ago when he made his debut.

RESULT: NEAR MISS

Name: Jordan Spence Date of Birth: 24/5/90

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018: 28 Club in 2010: West Ham United Current Club: Milton Keynes Dons (recently released) International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2011

Spence was a West Ham trainee who first played for the club in May 2010 as a substitute against Manchester City although his professional debut came on loan to League One Leyton Orient in an FA Cup match against Bradford City in November 2008. He never managed to break into the West Ham first team properly though and after just 10 games for the club and loans at not only Orient but also Scunthorpe United, Bristol City, Sheffield Wednesday and MK Dons he joined the latter on a permanent basis in August 2014. He was a part of the Dons side relegated from the Championship last season and it is reported that his contract will not be renewed. RESULT: MISS Looking back it's surprising that Spence was in the list but not his West Ham team-mate James Tomkins. I can only think this was an oversight at the time as Tomkins was playing regularly for West Ham and England U21 at the time being 21 years old. Unlike Spence he has stayed in the West Ham team and did get to play for Great Britain alongside Micah Richards in the 2012 Olympic team. Now 27 years old and playing in a Hammers side that finished seventh last season there is a good chance that he will get an England call-up at some point.

Name: David Wheater Date of Birth: 14/2/87

Age in 2010: 23 Age in 2018: 31 Club in 2010: Middlesbrough Current Club: Bolton Wanderers (recently released) International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2009

The Middlesbrough centre back made his debut in 2006 became a regular fixture in the back line from 2007/08 onwards. At the age of 22 he was made the captain of the side and represented England at every level from U16 to U21 apart from U20. In the summer of 2010 therefore he looked to have just as much chance of an England future as Gary Cahill for example and the pair would play together for a year in the Bolton Wanderers team as Wheater moved there in January 2011. Shortly after Cahill left the club the team were relegated to the Championship at the end of the 2011/12 season and last season they were relegated to League One, leaving them in the third tier of England football for the first time for 23 years. To add insult to injury Wheater has been released by the club at the end of his contract and is looking for a new club for 2016/17.

RESULT: MISS

Name: Michael Mancienne Date of Birth: 8/1/88

Age in 2010: 22 Age in 2018: 30 Club in 2010: Chelsea (on loan to Wolverhampton Wanderers) Current Club: Nottingham Forest International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2011

As often tends to be the way for Chelsea trainees, Mancienne was expected to have a great future once he broke into the first team but regular football at Stamford Bridge never materialised. He played just six games for the club while having two years on loan to Queens Park Rangers and three years on loan to Wolves. In the summer of 2010 he was at the end of his second season at Wolves (the first of which gained promotion to the Premier League) where he helped them avoid relegation and was playing regularly for the England U21 side (playing 30 times in all). An England career looked quite likely therefore but after returning to Chelsea from a third spell at Wolves in 2011 he was sold to SV Hamburg in the German Bundesliga for under £2m. In three seasons in Germany he played 55 times for the club before signing for Forest in 2014. He has been a key figure in their last two Championship campaigns for the last two seasons but although we may see him play again in the Premier League one day his England chances have surely gone now.

RESULT: MISS

Name: Martin Kelly Date of Birth: 27/4/90

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018: 28 Club in 2010: Liverpool Current Club: Crystal Palace International Honours: 1 cap

Kelly had been at Liverpool since 1997 when he made his debut in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven in December 2008. He was a member of the England U21 side and had played for Liverpool four times by the summer of 2010 so this prediction was made with a lot of potential in mind. He was highly rated for the future on the Football Manager PC games though which surely helped the decision. He did actually play for the England senior team once, in May 2012 against Norway in a friendly before the European Championships and was actually named in the squad for the tournament as a late replacement for the injured Gary Cahill although he did not play. After 62 games for the Reds he was sold to Crystal Palace in 2014 for £2m and has made over 50 appearances for them already. RESULT: NEAR MISS

CENTRAL MIDFIELD

Name: Mark Noble Date of Birth: 8/5/87

Age in 2010: 23 Age in 2018: 31 Club in 2010: West Ham United Current Club: West Ham United International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2009

It's not just West Ham fans that believe that Noble deserved a place in Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad after the excellent season he just had. If Danny Drinkwater was included in the pre-cut 26 then why not Noble? In fact Noble has been knocking on the door of England selection for so long that he looks like joining such notable names as Steve Bruce in being one of the best players never selected to play for his country. He has been with the Hammers since he was 13 years old and made his debut in 2004 against Southend in the League Cup and his league debut in 2005 against Wolves when they were in the Championship. In 2010 Noble had played for all the England youth levels apart from U20 and had 20 caps at U21 level, the kind of selection criteria that usual sees someone move on to the senior side but it never happened. He has now played for West Ham over 350 times and apparently he is eligible for Republic of Ireland too. Now at the age of 29 you have to wonder whether time is running out to play for either nation but I certainly think he's better than Fabian Delph and Drinkwater who have played for England already. RESULT: MISS / NEAR MISS (it's hard to decide on that one)

Name: Dan Gosling Date of Birth: 01/02/90

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018: 28 Club in 2010: Everton Current Club: Bournemouth International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2011

Gosling came through the Everton ranks at the same time as Jack Rodwell and also looked destined for a great future at club and international level. He was in the England U21 team in 2010 although he only played for them three times overall. He was bought by Everton from Plymouth Argyle in January 2008 after making 24 appearances for the south coast club. By the time of World Cup 2010 he had played 37 times and scored 6 goals for Everton and soon after our list was made he was sold to Newcastle United where he was plagued with a knee injury restricting him to one game in his first season. He was loaned to Championship side Blackpool in 2013/14 before joining Bournemouth at the end of the season. He helped them to promotion then helped them stay in the Premier League last season. RESULT: MISS

Name: Jack Wilshere Date of Birth: 1/1/92

Age in 2010: 18 Age in 2018: 26 Club in 2010: Arsenal Current Club: Arsenal International Honours: 32 caps and 2 goals

Arsenal Academy player Wilshere made his senior debut in 2008 in the league against Blackburn at the tender age of 16. By the summer of 2010 he had only played for Arsenal 15 times (2 in the Premier League) but he was widely spoken of as a real talent for the future so his place on this list is no surprise. His England senior debut came soon after as he played in a friendly against Hungary in August 2010 to make him the 10th youngest player to play for the Three Lions. Since then he's gone one to play rack up a total of 157 games for Arsenal and 32 for England but both figures could be much higher if not for his injury issues. An broken ankle injury kept him out for the whole of the 2011/12 season, he missed three months in 2014/15 with another ankle injury (ligaments this time) and he only played three games last season after breaking his leg in pre-season.

RESULT: HIT

Name: Lee Cattermole Date of Birth: 21/3/88

Age in 2010: 22 Age in 2018: 30 Club in 2010: Sunderland Current Club: Sunderland International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2010

Cattermole was a defensive midfielder just coming out of the England U21 side in the summer of 2010 due to his age and had just played 22 times for Sunderland in his first season since his £6m move from Wigan Athletic in 2009. He spent three seasons as captain of the Sunderland side after being given the role by Steve Bruce and has now 173 times for the club, constantly helping them avoid relegation. I think what goes against his selection for the national side is his disciplinary record (60 yellow cards and 6 red cards since signing for Sunderland) and that England already have a number of midfielders who can do more with the ball.

RESULT: MISS

Name: Tom Huddlestone Date of Birth: 28/12/86

Age in 2010: 23 Age in 2018: 31 Club in 2010: Tottenham Hotspur Current Club: Hull City International Honours: 4 caps

Huddlestone has played for England so we can count that as a partial success but I guess he's in the same group as Rodwell in that he career took a downturn after playing for his country. Unfortunately with Huddlestone now being 29 years old he doesn't look to have the time to make it back into the England squad especially as he has only just got back into the Premier League with Hull City after winning the play off final against Sheffield Wednesday. Spurs bought him from Derby County for £2.5m in 2005 and by the time of World Cup 2010 he'd played for them over 150 times and made his England debut in November 2009 in a friendly against Brazil. He was in Capello's short list of thirty players for the 2010 tournament but didn't make the final cut. There was every reason therefore to think he would be a fixture in the England side for some time to come. His last cap came in November 2012 though and he was sold to Hull City for just over £5m in the summer of 2013, facing relegation at the end of the 2014/15 season and helping them to an immediate return. RESULT: NEAR MISS

Name: Michael Johnson Date of Birth: 3/3/88

Age in 2010: 22 Age in 2018: 30 Club in 2010: Manchester City Current Club: Retired International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2008

His brief career with City is littered with reports of injuries and he was released by them in December 2012 after failing to make any first team appearances since the 2009/10 season. It is reported that he now runs his own estate agent business. His early career had all the signs of a great future and it's a great shame that he has joined players like Dean Ashton in having a promising career cut short by injury. In total he played 45 times for Manchester City and 9 times on loan with Leicester City.

RESULT: MISS

Name: Fabian Delph Date of Birth: 21/11/89

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018: 28 Club in 2010: Aston Villa Current Club: Manchester City International Honours: 9 caps

Delph came through the Leeds United youth ranks and made his debut for the West Yorkshire club at the end of the 2006/07 season against Derby County. The club was relegated to League One and Delph played twice the following season but then in 2008/09 he made 51 appearances and scored 6 goals as the team's key midfielder as they finished fourth in the league. Aston Villa then beat several Premier League clubs to his signature in the summer of 2009 and by the summer of 2010 he had finished his first season in the Premier League with 8 appearances and another 7 in the cups. He was in the England U21 side and the signs were good for the future. This is one we got right as not only did Delph make his England debut against Norway in September 2014 in a friendly but he was in Roy Hodgson's Euro 2016 squad until he was ruled out through injury. Manchester City bought him for £8m in the summer of 2015 and he left Aston Villa on a bad note with the fans after pledging his future to the club just days before. He made 27 appearances in all competitions last season and did enough to impress Hodgson but not many England fans. That being said he should be in the running for a place in 2018.

RESULT: HIT

Name: Jamie O'Hara Date of Birth: 25/9/86

Age in 2010: 24 Age in 2018: 32 Club in 2010: Tottenham Hotspur Current Club: Fulham (recently released) International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2009

I think this was a bit of a punt after the Spurs midfielder had a good loan spell with Portsmouth in the 2009/10 season. He helped Pompey to get to the FA Cup final that year and although he would be past 30 in 2018 he looked like being worth putting on the list. As is often the case for the misses on this list though it just never panned out that way for O'Hara. After joining Wolverhampton Wanderers on loan for the second half of the 2010/11 season he joined them permanently in the summer. After a season with Blackpool in 2014/15 he played for Fulham last season but was released in the summer. RESULT: MISS

WIDE PLAYERS

Name: Theo Walcott Date of Birth: 15/3/89

Age in 2010: 21 Age in 2018: 29 Club in 2010: Arsenal Current Club: Arsenal International Honours: 43 caps, 8 goals

Sven-Goran Eriksson surprised everyone by including Walcott in his squad for World Cup 2006 in a similar manner to Hodgson selecting Marcus Rashford ten years later. At least Rashford has played and scored in the Premier League where Walcott had not. Rashford has also played at the tournament already whereas Walcott didn't touch a ball in 2006. Since then England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, he was not picked by Capello for World Cup 2010 or by Hodgson for World Cup 2014 or Euro 2016 meaning that Euro 2012 is his only international tournament experience. He'll still be only 29 in 2018 but he will need to improve his game to force his way back into the England team after a string of inconsistent performances for club and country. Walcott has had a high profile career so far with two FA Cup winners medals and nearly 350 games for Arsenal but he now needs to find another gear to make the next chapter one worth reading.

RESULT: HIT

Name: Adam Johnson Date of Birth: 14/7/87

Age in 2010: 23 Age in 2018: 31 Club in 2010: Manchester City Current Club: HMS Prison Moorland International Honours: 12 caps and 2 goals

When the list was compiled in 2010 Johnson had signed for City in the previous January transfer window from Middlesbrough for around £7m. The winger had also made his England debut in the May before World Cup 2010 in a friendly against Mexico although he was not in the tournament squad. What could go wrong? Surely Johnson would be a star for years to come? Ah, we didn't realise then that six years later he would be sentenced to six years in prison for grooming and sexual activity with a girl aged 15. Before that now infamous incident though his career has already started to slide. He last played for England in 2012 and like with Rodwell earlier in the list and another winger still to come his big money Manchester City move was not a dream come true. In the summer of 2012 he was signed by Sunderland for £10m and remained there until being sacked by them earlier this year for obvious reasons. I'm still regarding this as a near miss as he might have made the 2018 squad if he'd kept his genitals away from an underage girl.

RESULT: NEAR MISS

Name: James Milner Date of Birth: 4/1/86

Age in 2010: 24 Age in 2018: 32 Club in 2010: Aston Villa Current Club: Liverpool International Honours: 61 caps, 1 goal

Milner came through the youth ranks at Leeds United and became the youngest player to score a goal in the Premier League when in December 2002 he put the ball in the net against Sunderland. After that everyone was talking about the exciting young midfielder from Leeds. Unfortunately for him Leeds United were relegated from the Premier League and he was sold to Newcastle United as the club needed the money. He was with them until signing for Aston Villa in August 2008 for £12m which is where he was still contracted when the list was compiled in the summer of 2010. He had also made his England debut in August 2009 against Netherlands in a friendly after playing an amazing 46 times for the U21 team. He was a member of the England squad for World Cup 2010 so it's no surprise he was on the list and has also been to Euro 2012, World Cup 2014 and now Euro 2016. Since Villa he's had four and a half seasons with Manchester City and joined Liverpool at the start of last season. Whether he will still be on the international scene in two years time is questionable but he could be in with a shout.

RESULT: HIT

Name: Victor Moses Date of Birth: 12/12/90

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018: 28 Club in 2010: Wigan Athletic Current Club: Chelsea International Honours: 24 caps and 7 goals for Nigeria

Back in 2010 Victor Moses was still an England player on his way to a possible international future. He'd played for the U21 side soon after the list was made but then was called up to play for Nigeria in February 2011. He had to wait until 2012 to make his debut though while FIFA approved his application to switch nations. So in one we were were correct that he is an international player and if Nigeria qualify for 2018 World Cup it's likely he will be there. In 2010 Moses had just been bought by Wigan Athletic from Championship side Crystal Palace in January for £2.5m. In the summer of 2012 he moved to Chelsea and although he's still on the books he's spent the last three seasons at Liverpool, Stoke City and West Ham United where he's performed very well at the latter two yet he has not been kept for the Chelsea team at any point. Whether Antonio Conte will keep him remains to be seen. RESULT: NEAR MISS

Name: Scott Sinclair Date of Birth: 25/3/89

Age in 2010: 21 Age in 2018: 29 Club in 2010: Chelsea Current Club: Aston Villa International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2011

At the age of 27 Sinclair has played for 12 clubs already including 8 loan moves of which one became permanent. Starting his career at Bristol Rovers he moved to Chelsea in 2005 but in five years at the London club he only made 14 appearances for them. Like other young Chelsea players in recent years he spent much of his time out on loan at Plymouth Argyle, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Crystal Palace, Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic. In the last of those however he had impressed at Wigan in the Premier League and soon after the list was made he was signed by Swansea City in the Championship and made his England U21 debut. Swansea were promoted at the end of that 2010/11 season and the future looked bright for Sinclair but despite a move to Manchester City he hasn't performed well enough to earn an England call up. His time at City was reminiscent of his time at Chelsea as he played only 19 times for them in three seasons and spent time on loan at West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa. The latter bought him last summer with the promise of first team football which he received but at the expense of relegation to the Championship.

RESULT: MISS

STRIKERS

Name: Wayne Rooney Date of Birth: 24/10/85

Age in 2010: 24 Age in 2018: 32 Club in 2010: Manchester United Current Club: Manchester United International Honours: 113 caps and 52 goals

There's nothing I can say about Wayne Rooney that everyone doesn't already know but back in 2010 he was regarded as one of the best players in the world by many football experts, managers and fans alike. Although his stay in the England team has continued as we expected and he's broken both the outfield appearance record and Sir Bobby Charlton's goal scoring record his status in football's elite players has, if you pardon the pun, waned. Had he continued to try and ply his trade as a striker I don't think he would have a future for much longer with England but his switch to midfield playmaker has been a success so far. Although he'll be 32 at the next World Cup there's every chance that the England captain can keep his place in midfield and if he does he will likely break Peter Shilton's overall England caps record of 125.

RESULT: HIT

Name: Nathan Delfouneso Date of Birth: 2/2/91

Age in 2010: 19 Age in 2018: 27 Club in 2010: Aston Villa Current Club: Blackburn Rovers International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2012

The former Villa trainee made his debut for the club in 2008 in the UEFA Cup against FH Hafnarfjaroar aged 17 and had made 26 appearances and scored 6 goals by the summer of 2010. He was a member of the U19 squad for the 2010 UEFA U19 Championship and was developing into a good striker. The first team chances dried up though soon after this list was made and he spent the next few seasons on loan at Championship sides Burnley, Leicester City and Blackpool as well as League One Coventry City. He was never prolific though even at that level and Villa released him in the summer of 2014 and he went back to Blackpool. After leaving there he signed a one year deal with Blackburn Rovers last summer and while with them he had a loan spell with League One Bury. Where he will be in 2016/17 is yet unknown. RESULT: MISS

Name: Danny Welbeck Date of Birth: 26/11/90

Age in 2010: 19 Age in 2018: 27 Club in 2010: Manchester United Current Club: Arsenal International Honours: 35 caps and 14 goals

Welbeck made his United debut in September 2008 against Middlesbrough in the League Cup and by the time of the 2010 World Cup he played for them 24 times and scored 5 goals (plus 8 games and 2 goals on loan to Preston). He was already playing and scoring for the England U21 side and he looked like a great prospect for the future making him a natural for this list. His England debut came in 2011 against Ghana in a friendly and to date has 35 caps and 14 goals but missed Euro 2016 through an injury which cut his season short. At the end of the summer transfer window in 2014 Welbeck joined United's rivals Arsenal in a shock move for £16m now scored 13 goals in 49 games for them. RESULT: HIT

Name: Daniel Sturridge Date of Birth: 1/9/89

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018: 28 Club in 2010: Chelsea Current Club: Liverpool International Honours: 19 caps and 6 goals

Sturridge was a Manchester City youth player and came through their ranks making his debut in February 2007 against Reading. In his time at City he played 32 games and scored 6 goals but was regarded as a wide player as well as a striker. On the Football Manager games at the time he was a star of the future, a wonderkid, so his inclusion on the list was no surprise especially when Chelsea bought him for an eventual reported fee of £8.3m in the summer of 2009. By World Cup 2010 he had played 20 times for the Blues and scored 5 goals and was a member of the England U21 team. In the following season he played 21 times for Chelsea but also had a great loan spell with Bolton Wanderers where he scored 8 goals in 12 games to show what he could do if a club showed faith in him. His England debut came against Sweden in November 2011 in the season where he played 43 times and scored 13 goals and was on the bench as the team won the UEFA Champions League. Half way through the next season though he was deemed surplus to requirements and sold to Liverpool for 12m and has gone on to have a fantastic record with them despite suffering some significant injuries. His record for them stands at 92 games and 53 goals as he has developed into a key striker for club and country. Along with Juan Mata, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne he is one player I'd have back at Chelsea in a heartbeat.

RESULT: HIT

Name: James Vaughan Date of Birth: 14/7/88

Age in 2010: 22 Age in 2018: 30 Club in 2010: Everton Current Club: Birmingham City International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2011 Vaughan was an Everton youth who came through their excellent academy and made his debut in April 2005. By the summer of 2010 he was in the England U21 set-up and had played for Everton 59 times with 9 goals and had loans with Championship sides Derby County and Leicester City but only scoring 1 goal in 10 games overall. It was a gamble to put him on the list and following a season on loan to Championship Crystal Palace he was signed by Norwich City but he only played six times for the Canaries before making a loan move to Huddersfield Town permanent in July 2013. Last season he went on loan to fellow Championship side Birmingham City and at the end of 2015/16 when his Huddersfield contract expired he signed a contract with the Midlands side.

RESULT: MISS

Name: Jose Baxter Date of Birth: 7/2/92

Age in 2010: 18 Age in 2018: 26 Club in 2010: Everton Current Club: Sheffield United International Honours: No caps, last played for U17 in 2009 Like Vaughan, Baxter was one of a number of strikers who seemed to have high potential in Football Manager and FIFA games which helped them onto this list (with a couple more to follow). Baxter was also from the same Everton Academy that produced Rodwell, Gosling and Vaughan who also made the list. The difference is though that he also made the Daily Mail list in 2007 that started this whole blog series I'm writing now. As I said in an earlier blog I remember using Jose quite effectively on the FM games so it's a shame to see him playing down in League One these days. At least at one of the biggest clubs down there like Sheffield United he has a chance of Championship football in the near future but the Blades only finished 11th last season when I expected to see them in the play-off positions at least. He made his Everton debut in August 2008 against Blackburn Rovers in the league and played 15 times for the Toffees and 14 times for Tranmere Rovers on loan in League One before leaving them in the summer of 2012. He was released by Everton and signed for League One Oldham Athletic to rebuild his career where he spent two seasons before a £500k move to Sheffield United. RESULT: MISS

Name: Freddy Sears Date of Birth: 27/11/89

Age in 2010: 20 Age in 2018: 28 Club in 2010: West Ham United Current Club: Ipswich Town International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2009

Sears was a West Ham trainee who many thought would have a glittering career ahead of him. It's amazing how many of these players fall by the wayside and the ones who are successful seem to come out of the blue. In March 2008 he made his West Ham debut and by World Cup 2010 he had played 31 times for them but scored only once which was in his first season (warning signs perhaps?). Even in three loan spells at Crystal Palace, Coventry City and Scunthorpe United he failed to score in a total of 38 games so that by the time he left West Ham in the summer of 2012 he had a grand total of 5 goals (he got 2 for West Ham in 2010/11 and 2 in a loan to Colchester United) in 107 games. Not impressive for a forward. When he was released by West Ham he was signed by Colchester where he stayed in League One until Ipswich Town bought him for £100k in January 2015. In his last two years at Colchester he started scoring well and netted 26 times in 61 games. In a season and a half he has scored 15 in 48 games for Ipswich Town. RESULT: MISS

Name: Henri Lansbury Date of Birth: 12/10/90

Age in 2010: 19 Age in 2018: 27 Club in 2010: Arsenal Current Club: Nottingham Forest International Honours: No caps, last played for U21 in 2013

Lansbury's Arsenal debut came in October 2007 in the League cup but between then and when he left in 2012 he only played for the Gunners eight times (five by the time the list was made). He did have loan spells at Scunthorpe United, Watford, Norwich City and West Ham United where he scored 14 goals in 104 games. He's been at Forest since they paid Arsenal a reported £1m for him and has 27 goals in 131 games.

RESULT: MISS

Name: Frazier Campbell Date of Birth: 13/9/87

Age in 2010: 23 Age in 2018: 31 Club in 2010: Sunderland Current Club: Crystal Palace International Honours: 1 cap Campbell came through United's youth ranks and despite only playing four games for them he had successful loans at Antwerp, Hull City and Tottenham Hotspur. That persuaded Sunderland to pay an initial £3.5m for him in July 2009 and by the World Cup 2010 he'd scored 7 goals in his first season with them. His England debut came in February 2012 in a friendly with Netherlands when caretaker manager gave him his only ten minutes of international football. After scoring only 10 goals in 72 games for Sunderland he was bought by Cardiff City for £650k and spent two seasons in Wales as he helped them to promotion in 2012/13 and relegation back down the following year. Since then he's been at Crystal Palace but with competition for places from Connor Wickham, Dwight Gayle and Wilfried Zaha he's only played 37 times and scored 7 goals. RESULT: NEAR MISS (at least he had a cap)

The Hits (10) Joe Hart

Kieran Gibbs

Gary Cahill

Jack Wilshere

Fabian Delph

Theo Walcott

James Milner

Wayne Rooney

Danny Welbeck

Daniel Sturridge

The Near Misses (8)

Micah Richards

Jack Rodwell

Martin Kelly

Mark Noble

Tom Huddlestone

Adam Johnson

Victor Moses

Frazier Campbell

The Misses (15)

Ross Turnbull

Joe Mattock

Jordan Spence

David Wheater Michael Mancienne

Dan Gosling

Lee Cattermole

Michael Johnson

Jamie O'Hara

Scott Sinclair

Nathan Delfouneso

James Vaughan

Jose Baxter

Freddy Sears

Henri Lansbury