Campbell still hopes to play for England
Newcastle United defender Sol Campbell says he has not completely given up on the idea that he could one day play for England again.
Campbell has not featured in the England set-up for a very long time as Fabio Capello seems to have a small group of defensive players that he likes to rely on. However, Campbell insists he is ready to play if needed.
The veteran defender joined Newcastle this summer after it emerged that he would not be offered a new deal to stay at Arsenal for longer than the club desired. Newcastle jumped at the chance to bring on one of the most experienced defenders in Premier League history.
Campbell has a high number of skills and attributes that would make him a very good pick for England. However, some will say it is very clear that Capello and England have moved on from the days when Campbell held the defence together.
Skills and attributes
Campbell has played just under 400 Premier League games and this is a number that few other players can even get close to. It has given him an experience and knowledge of the English game that would make him an undoubted asset in the England team.
Campbell is arguably the best defensive English player in the air. He is physically big and his strength allows him to get the better of most strikers to clear the ball away instantly when it is played over the top.
His positional awareness is second to none. This has got better in the last two or three years because he no longer has the pace to compensate for being out of position. This would allow him to play international football without Capello needing to worry about his speed.
Campbell said: "I think it all comes down to who is at the helm and the people behind the associations. They are going to make all the decisions and it is also the mentality of the nation. You go to Italy and defenders and goalkeepers can go on and on and on really. You can roll the names off of the guys who have played well into their late 30s at international level."
Moved on
There will be a small group of people that will argue the England team has moved on from the days where Campbell was a regular choice in defence. The skill, pace and quality of international football may all be a little too high quality for Campbell to now cope with.
Campbell also has to take that he is not one of the first choice defenders that Capello now chooses. He is way down in the pecking order as Capello has other names he turns to when his best players are either suspended or injured.
Campbell added: "I am going to fight on the pitch for Newcastle and if it comes to the stage where someone says can you fight for England then I will fight for England. But I am not going to go on about it."
Betting advice
When Campbell plays in the Newcastle team then back them to win unless they are playing against one of the best teams in England or Europe. Also remember that he goes up in attack for all of the set plays, which makes him an outside bet to score a goal every now and then.
It's highly unlikely that he will be given the chance to play for England again because of his age and the fact that he no longer has blistering pace. Only focus on him in a Newcastle United context.
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