The absence of Theo Walcott could prove a serious blow to the England team in preparing for the World Cup. The pacy forward was surprisingly ignored in 2010, but has grown in talent and confidence since. His long term injury may result in both Arsenal missing out on the league title and England struggling going forward unless a suitable replacement can be found. Andros Townsend impressed in the final World Cup qualifiers, but is being used quite sparingly by Tottenham and so struggles to build up a run of first team appearances. Walcott's fellow Saints Academy graduate and Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has also been good for England in the past and may fill the gap in the Arsenal team left by Walcott now the Ox is back to full fitness. It would be worth Hodgson including him at some point on Wednesday. The winger that Hodgson really has to consider using, though, is Liverpool's 19 year old emerging star Raheem Sterling who has come on in leaps and bounds over the last two seasons. His incredible performance in the 5-1 demolition of Arsenal earlier this month shows that he is ready to impress at the highest level and is on excellent form as Liverpool push to ensure a Champions League berth for next year, if not an outside chance at the title. With just one non-competitive international appearance for England, Sterling could still play for Jamaica, the country of his birth and his parents, but has spoken about his desire to commit his future to England. England would do well to reciprocate and make Sterling a central part of their future.
