Jermaine Pennant keen to play for England
Stoke City midfielder Jermaine Pennant says he has not completely given up on the hope of playing again for England.
Pennant represented England at under-21 level but has never been able to make the full transition to the senior side. He says he hopes his move to Stoke will give him greater exposure in English football.
The former Arsenal youth joined Stoke on loan from Real Zaragoza over the summer. He has since admitted that he wants to make the move permanent and finish his career in England.
Pennant does have the quality and skill needed to play at the highest level. However, England manager Fabio Capello has more talented right wingers to pick from than ever before.
Quality and skill
Pennant seems to have left the past behind and is focusing on the future. He struggled at Arsenal, Liverpool and Birmingham to hold down a regular starting place. This is very encouraging for both Stoke
and England because it's clear he will try and raise his performance levels in every game.
His play from set pieces is as good as any other player in the Premier League. He strikes the ball very well and this makes him ideal to take free kicks, penalties or corners. It guarantees that he'll
have a high number of assists this season.
Pennant is a versatile wide player who could potentially solve the left midfield problem of the England team.
He can also move inside and play central midfield. However, Stoke is using him down the right and he himself admitted that right midfield is his favoured position.
"I won't give up until I retire, but you have to be doing it week in, week out at club level. I've been in and out of teams and abroad but now I'm back in the Premier League I'll play the best I can and
see if that chance comes up. I think the Stoke City players have done very well," he said.
Competition for places
The main problem that Pennant faces with the England team is competition for places. There are a lot of talented players in his position. Capello has to pick one player from Pennant, Aaron Lennon, Theo
Walcott or David Bentley to play down England's right.
These are all players that will be higher up the pecking order than Pennant. This means he is going to need to play exceptionally well over the next few weeks if he wants to climb the list rapidly.
"I think [England manager] Fabio Capello is just going with what he's had and bringing in a few new faces, but he's probably trying to keep things steady. That England job's a very hard one to do, you've
got to be careful who you pick. I'm sure if the Stoke team and the Stoke players keep doing what we're doing, there might be a few more new faces in there," he added.
Betting advice
Focus on Pennant in a Stoke context only for the time being. He is not likely to feature for England any time soon and has to do more at domestic level to get an international chance.
He is a very talented and attacking midfield player. He gets into good advanced positions on the pitch and this means he is a candidate to score more goals than most wingers.
Stoke is looking more and more like an established Premier League club. Back the side to stay up easily this season. Also back Stoke to win in any game the club plays at home because Stoke's home support
is phenomenal.
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