England: 5 Players Who Should Replace 100 Game Ashley Cole

1. Leighton Baines

everton leighton baines Leighton Baines started his career as a left-winger with Liverpool€™s Centre of Excellence before joining Wigan Athletic in 2002, becoming a part of the team which won the 2002/03 old Second Division. Breaking into the first team Wigan and Baines won promotion to the Premier League during the 2004/05 season. This resulted in Baines making 16 appearances for England at U21 level and signing a new long-term contract with Wigan, despite attracting interest from several of the Premier League€™s big clubs. Spending a further two seasons with Wigan Baines rejected a move to Sunderland in July 2007 before finally agreeing a move to Everton. Initially restricted to the bench by the form of defenders Jagielka, Yobo and Lescott, an injury to Yobo in Baines€™ second season handed him his opportunity with a run in the side, seeing him voted Everton€™s Player of the Month two months in a row. During the seasons that followed Baines established himself as Everton€™s first-choice left-back, playing every minute of Everton€™s Premier League games during the 2010/11 season and scoring 7 goals in the process. The following season saw him reach 99 consecutive league games and he was voted into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year. Baines was awarded his first England cap during a friendly in March 2010, a full year after being initially named in the senior squad as a result of Wayne Bridge€™s international retirement. Astonishingly, Baines was not included in the final squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with Stephen Warnock preferred as Ashley Cole€™s deputy. His final competitive international debut came in June 2011 and he has since gone on to earn a total of 14 caps to date. Despite this relatively low figure for a player of his age, 28 year old Baines has drawn plaudits from many as a result of his consistently high level performances at the highest level of English football. So there we have it, feel free to add your potential England left-back suggestions below.
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An opinionated Geordie with a love of Football and Gaming.