England face striker crisis at Euro 2012

ENGLAND showcase yet another new kit for the first time against Holland tomorrow. The snazzy brushed cotton number is supposed to draw inspiration from the flag of St George and is a throwback to the golden era overseen by Sir Alf Ramsay. But, back in the present, there will surely never be a better time for Danny Welbeck to show the shirt truly fits. Opportunity knocks for one of England’s young lions at Wembley with the friendly against the Dutch assuming extra significance after the grim bulletin on Darren Bent’s fitness compounded the reality of Wayne Rooney’s suspension for the start of Euro 2012. England may have no manager for the tournament, and currently lack a full-time captain, and an absence of recognised strikers can now be added to their list of pressing problems. It is here caretaker coach Stuart Pearce’s reign, however brief, may yet prove crucial. Pearce will only take charge for one match, but should he offer up a solution to the taxing conundrum of just who stands in for Rooney against France on June 11, and Sweden four days later, then his legacy will live on. That the trio of strikers he has at his disposal - Welbeck, Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge and Sunderland’s Fraizer Campbell - muster just 82 minutes of international experience and not a goal between them at this level illustrates the amount of work England have to do before a major championship that is a little over three months away. In addition, Sturridge is playing in a wide position at club level, while Campbell has only recently returned from injury which kept him on the sidelines for 500 days. It is Welbeck, currently keeping Dimitar Berbatov and sometimes Javier Hernandez on the sidelines at Old Trafford, who needs to seize the moment. The 21-year-old has made three substitute appearances so far for England, but his ability to hold the ball up and bring team-mates into play, as well as his goalscoring threat, make it hard for Pearce to resist the temptation to start him ahead of the others. The Manchester United youngster has to make sure one man’s likely misfortune offers him a chance to seize. Bent continues to divide opinion and his merits have not always been to the liking of coach-in-waiting Harry Redknapp, who once suggested wife Sandra would have done better with one headed chance during the forward’s time at Tottenham. Yet his record of four goals in seven appearances last season did much to improve his standing and he would in all likelihood have made the cut for Poland and Ukraine. England’s other options are restricted. Jermain Defoe’s exclusion was entirely in keeping with a frustrating season, while Bobby Zamora’s deadline-day move to QPR has yet to ignite and Andy Carroll’s exile illustrates just how far the £35million Liverpool forward has slipped down the pecking order. “I’m sure he’s probably disappointed he’s not in. I’m sure he’s looking to the Euros thinking probably he’s got a chance of playing,” said Anfield and England team-mate Stewart Downing. “But he just has to keep playing well and hope Stuart takes note of it. He’s played before, he’s scored for England and done well. He just needs to keep working hard and playing well for Liverpool and he’ll get his chance again.” Downing also claimed former England coach Fabio Capello’s questioning of Carroll’s lifestyle was unfair. He added: “With Andy a lot of questions are asked of him but from what I know he’s a quiet lad. He does his work at Liverpool and I don’t think he’s caused any problems.” Theo Walcott’s ability to play through the middle makes him an alternative, his brace in Arsenal’s 5-2 rampage against Tottenham well timed, but Pearce will hope to shed light on the issue. Rooney, absent with a throat infection, is confident England will fare better than at the World Cup when they suffered a harrowing exit at the hands of Germany in the last 16. He said: “As a team, as a group of players, we go there better off. I feel we’ll be a lot better than against Germany. “The goal is to try to win the competition. It’s been a long time since England won one. For us, we want to try to create a bit of a history, that’s our main aim. “Hopefully we can do well in the two matches I’ll miss. And then hopefully the manager brings me back in and I’ve got a chance to help us try to win games and do well at the tournament. That’s obviously my aim. As a team, we aim to try to do that. It will be down to the new manager who he takes to the finals.” Those options will hopefully become clearer tomorrow.PAUL JOYCE runs the rule over England’s trio of attacking rookies ahead of the friendly against Holland at Wembley‘Sturridge is playing wide at club level’‘Injury kept Campbell on sidelines for 500 days’