This January has seen the return of a bundle of older stars from yester-year return to the top flight of English football, with the likes of Thierry Henry and Paul Scholes both returning to their former haunts. However, does the return of such ageing stars reflect a worrying trend in the ability of England’s top youth players?
Thierry Henry at the ripe old age of thirty-four (thirty-five next week) sensationally returned to Arsenal last week, a club where his legendary status has even led to a statue of him being erected outside the Emirates Stadium. He famously marked his debut return with a goal against Leeds in the FA Cup 3rd Round, a goal that will surely go down in Arsenal Folk-law. Nonetheless, Wenger’s decision to bring in someone so old, which goes against his philosophy of investing younger talent, is surely a remarkable one.
Henry is on a two month loan deal from New York Red Bulls, and Wenger intends for Henry to act as cover for players such as Gervinho as they take part in the African Cup of Nations. In most circumstances, when a player leaves temporarily, whether for an international tournament or for injury, it is usually a chance for younger players to stake a claim in the first team – but not in this case.
It seems young starlets such as Benik Afobe and Zak Ansah have been overlooked by Wenger. This could be because of the demands of the Premier League, the need for points and a higher position may mean a more experienced head could do a better job. Perhaps it is because the players just aren’t ready to step up yet. On the other hand, there is the worrying possibility that they just may not be good enough, and the acquisition by other clubs of older players seems to reiterate this worrying predicament.
Paul Scholes was asked to come out of retirement to help bolster league champions Manchester United title ambitions, and he also found the net against Bolton in his returning start, meanwhile Robbie Keane returned to the top flight to join Alex McLeish’s Aston Villa. Similarly to Arsenal, it seems younger players have been overlooked, including Nathan Delfouneso at Villa, who has been a regular England Under 21 international for a number of years.
It is clear that managers are reluctant to risk younger protégé’s, seeing a drop in points as a too higher stake to bet on such untried talent. However, it is not always the case that youngsters find the step-up overwhelming, which is highlighted by how well James McClean is doing at Sunderland, who is repaying the faith paid in him by new manager Martin O’Neill with a series of outstanding performances for the Black Cats.
Ultimately, if younger players do not get opportunities at clubs, then they will never be able to reach their potentials, and as long as clubs continue to look for more experienced players rather than investing in their youth systems, the standard of players coming through will continue to be simply not good enough for the standard of English Premier League and consequently contribute to a continuation in lack of International success too.
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