Heskey called up to England squad
Emile Heskey has been given a shock recall To the England squad for
the Euro 2008 qualification double-header with Israel and
Russia.
The Wigan striker won the last of his 43 caps against France at
Euro 2004 and it was thought his international days were behind
him.
However, England manager Steve McClaren saw the 29-year-old in
action for the Latics in their defeat at Newcastle yesterday and
was impressed enough to make contact with Wigan on Sunday morning
and request his release.
With his squad woefully short of goalscoring options, especially as
Peter Crouch is suspended for Saturday's encounter with Israel at
Wembley, McClaren at least knows Heskey has scored five times at
international level, something none of his striking rivals, with
the exception of Michael Owen, can claim.
The former Liverpool player has also scored in the league this
season, something only Owen has managed out of McClaren's
five-strong strike-force.
With no withdrawals to compensate for Heskey's inclusion there must
be a real possibility the Owen-Heskey strike partnership will be
revived after a three-year break.
Heskey's inclusion, which was only finalised after McClaren had
given media interviews on Sunday morning, is the fourth time the
England coach has dug into the Three Lions' past to bolster his
squad.
Former skipper David Beckham was recalled in June, while Portsmouth
duo David James and Sol Campbell were among the 26-man squad
McClaren originally named for the crucial encounters to come over
the next 10 days.
Heskey was called into Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad for games
against Northern Ireland and Azerbaijan in March 2005 but did not
play.
There must be more of a chance of that happening this time.
'Emile is a player with a lot of international experience and has
played many times with Michael Owen in the past,' McClaren
said.
'He has been in good form for Wigan this season. He played very
well against Sunderland recently and I saw him play well against
Newcastle yesterday.
'While he has been out of the squad for a few years, I have spoken
with Chris Hutchings who has been hugely impressed with him and I
think he deserves to be recalled. We need his experience at this
time.'
Hutchings hailed Heskey as 'colossal' and believes his recall is
fully merited.
'This is not just tremendous personal news for Emile, but it's also
fantastic for Wigan as a whole,' said Hutchings.
'He is a brilliant professional, one of the best I've worked
with.
'He is colossal and I have no doubt he will serve England well if
Steve McClaren picks him for either of the games.
'I think it's a thoroughly deserved call-up because he has been
playing out of his skin. His team-mates will be as chuffed as I
am.'
