THE inclusion of Matt Richards and Ian Westlake in tonight's England Under-21 squad is part of Peter Taylor's quest to supply the senior side with more left-sided players.
By Derek Davis
Chief Football Writer
THE inclusion of Matt Richards and Ian Westlake in tonight's England Under-21 squad is part of Peter Taylor's quest to supply the senior side with more left-sided players.
Taylor is in his second stint as Under-21 boss and is combining his international duties with his job as manager of Hull City for the next 12 months
During his tenure between 1996 and 1999, he lost just two competitive internationals and picked a number of Ipswich players including Richard Wright and Kieron Dyer, who went on to win senior caps.
It is that sort of development uppermost in Taylor's mind as he sends his squad, which includes five uncapped players, into battle against the Ukraine in a friendly at Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium tonight with next month's European Championship qualifiers against Austria and Poland firmly in his sights.
He said: "It's one of the things I've thought about since I've been asked to take the team for 12 months.
"It was just me looking at the seniors playing in Euro 2004 and in other games. I think we all know, I'm sure the manager would like some more left-footers in the team.
"But it takes a bit of time that, it's not easy. I think you would find if you looked at a lot of international sides, there's some of them that haven't got any left-footers as well, so if we could get one or two through then that would be great.
"I would really like to help produce some more left-footed players for the senior team."
It is unlikely Westlake or Richards will start tonight, with only Darren Bent in with a realistic chance after scoring twice in five full Under-21 internationals.
But, as Richards said in Saturday's EADT, it will be a great experience.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here