World Cup: What Might England's 2022 Line-up Look Like?

Central Midfield - Jack Wilshere (captain)

Age in 2022: 30 Currently: Arsenal, 12 England caps Widely regarded as a player with the potential to be the heart of the England team. A truly gifted deep lying playmaker, Wilshere is a box-to-box player with great movement and passing. Smart and with good vision, Wilshere reads the game well and his leadership qualities have caused many, including Roy Hodgson, to pick him out as a future England captain. Having become Arsenal's youngest ever outfield player in 2008 at the age of 16, Wilshere went on to win the 2010-11 PFA Young Player of the Year Award and was Arsenal's Player of the Season, above the likes of van Persie and Fabregas. Earlier this year he was named Man of the Match in England's impressive 2-1 win over Brazil at Wembley. If England are going to stand a chance in 2022 then they will probably need Wilshere to perform as he did in that game. However, he has not always delivered on his enormous promise. Injury saw him miss the entire 2011-12 season and his fitness had Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger rest him for some of last year. Even if he maintains his fitness, there are questions over whether he has the temperament of an aspiring captain. His fiery temper on the pitch has been matched with a couple of run ins with the police off it: a caution after a night club fracas in August 2010 and a warning after spitting at a taxi driver in March 2011. Nevertheless, Wilshere is a precociously talented player and is likely to be around for 2022.

Central Midfield - Ross Barkley

Age in 2022: 28 Currently: Everton, 1 England cap Barkley has been the biggest beneficiary of Roberto Martinez replacing David Moyes as Everton boss this summer. While Moyes sent the talented midfielder out on loan to Championship Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday (where he scored 4 goals in 13 games), clearly feeling he wasn't ready for regular Premiership football, under Martinez Barkley has become a central part of the team. Barkley, for his part, has repaid Martinez's faith in him in a series of impressive performances that have marked him out as a star of the future. A strong tackler, Barkley is equally good on the ball. His surging runs forward and goalscoring abilities have seen him compared to a star from across Merseyside: current England captain Steven Gerrard. Having been called up for the Under-16 team aged just 14, Barkley has represented England at every level in the last 5 years, culminating in his debut for the senior team against Moldova this season. He played a part in England's 2010 European Under-17 Championship win and is the most promising star of that squad, being selected as part of the team of the tournament. Whether Wilshere and Barkley end up being their generation's Lampard and Gerrard, two gifted players who do not gel together, remains to be seen, but both offer hope for England's future. Other possible contenders: Phil Jones (age 30 in 2022), Nathaniel Chalobah (27 in 2022), John Lundstram (27 in 2022), Jack Rodwell (31 in 2022), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (26 in 2022), James Ward-Prowse (27 in 2022), Tom Carroll (30 in 2022), If the future England midfield needs more of a holding player then the already mentioned versatile Jones and Chalobah are options, along with Barkley's Everton teammate John Lundstram or Man City's Rodwell. Chalobah's fellow teenage Chelsea prospect Ruben Loftus-Cheek has also played at the back, but favours a combative midfield role. In terms of more creative players, Ward-Prowse is yet another Saints academy product with a significant future ahead of him, already playing regularly for Southampton's first team and England Under-21s at the age of 18. Deep lying playmaker Tom Carroll has drawn comparisons with former Tottenham teammate Luka Modric and presents a possible alternative to Wilshere.

Attacking Midfield - Ravel Morrison

Age in 2022: 29 Currently: West Ham, 2 England Under-21 caps, 2 Goals Probably the selection for whom its hardest to predict where his career will be in 2022, Morrison's talent is in no doubt, but his temperament poses more of a question. Alex Ferguson once predicted the Man United youth product would be an unbelievable player or squander his talents with his troubled attitude. Years of arrests, convictions and fines for assault, criminal damage, homophobia and witness intimidation suggested Morrison was more likely to be headed for a jail sentence than a place in the England team. This season, though, after breaking into the West Ham team, Morrison has demonstrated the other side of personality: the skillful attacking talent. After his superb performance against Tottenham guided the Hammers to a 3-0 win, Morrison scored twice for the England Under-21s in a 5-0 victory over Lithuania. All of this has resulted in calls for Morrison to be selected for the senior team, even going so far as to suggest his call up could be England's secret weapon for the World Cup in Brazil. While this may be a little fanciful on the basis of a handful of impressive performances, by Qatar 2022 we should have a pretty good idea of whether Morrison really will mature into the player we now know he could be. Other possible contenders: Nick Powell (27 in 2022), Jonjo Shelvey (age 30 in 2022), Kasey Palmer (25 in 2022) Powell has been identified as a potential solution for Man United's lack of a good attacking central midfield player to replace Paul Scholes. Having started his career as a forward, Powell has always scored goals and this is what made United pay £6 million to bring him from Crewe. Currently on loan at Wigan, he has 5 goals in 12 games, including Wigan's first ever goal in European competition. Since leaving Liverpool for Swansea Shelvey has had a few ups and downs, most notably being responsible for all the goals in the 2-2 draw between his new and former clubs, but remains a promising attacking midfield option. Palmer may be just 16, but Chelsea obviously see enough potential in him to snatch him away from Charlton. Two footed and already skillful enough to turn a defender inside out, Palmer may be due for great things.