Looking at England’s latest squad sheet it’s almost impossible not to notice how few Manchester United players appear on there – just one for the forthcoming internationals.
This isn’t necessarily worrying for England. Manchester United have provided the backbone of the Three Lions squad for the last 20 years but it’s been a largely unsuccessful period for the international side. And it shouldn’t make any difference which team the England stars play for as long as they are getting top level and European experience.
But some might see it as a worrying sign for a Manchester United institution that has been built on home grown stars. United manager Louis van Gaal has brought some really exciting names to England this summer. But English players have made way to house them. The most high profile of those was Danny Welbeck who went to rivals Arsenal this summer.
United would argue that Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw would normally be in there too, with the likes of James Wilson coming up behind them. But gone are the days when Manchester United provided England’s creative spark with the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes and of course Welbeck.
Manchester United fans will hope that players like James Wilson, Luke Shaw and Tyler Blackett make the grade at Old Trafford to uphold the proud tradition of producing England stars on a regular basis. If they don’t then Manchester United could be looking a period of famine with regards English representatives in the international squad. And many believe that a really healthy squad has a healthy contingent of home grown talent to complement the more exotic imports.