Scott Wilson Column: Sterling saga should not prevent the FA from prioritising England Under-21s next summer

First, because it underlined the continued obstacles that Roy Hodgson will have to negotiate as he attempts to solve the intractable club-versus-country debate in order to assemble an England team capable of making an impression at Euro 2016, and second because while the rest of the Home Nations appear to be falling back in love with international football, England’s players were being accused of not caring enough once again.

In the case of Sterling, and for all that there are mitigating factors behind his admission of tiredness and an obvious possibility that Brendan Rodgers has had an influence over his decision, it is impossible to deny that the accusation has some merit.

Yet the most disheartening part of the saga did not really become evident until Tuesday night, when Gareth Southgate’s Under-21 side claimed a 2-1 win in Croatia to make next summer’s European Championships finals in the Czech Republic.

With no senior tournament taking place in 2015, next year’s finals are an ideal opportunity to provide England’s best young players with an opportunity to sample the unique pressures and demands of a major competition.

For all that he is keen to stand by the players who secured England’s place in the finals, Southgate has already hinted that he would like to call up some of the members of the senior squad who are still eligible for the Under-21s.

That creates the possibility of Sterling, Ross Barkley, John Stones, Calum Chambers, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all representing England in a tournament setting, and gaining valuable experience just 12 months before they are likely to be representing the senior side in France.

If it was up to me, they would all play. But given that Rodgers was obviously unhappy about Sterling playing in back-to-back senior qualifiers, can you really imagine him giving his blessing to the winger spending the best part of a month playing for the Under-21s?

And given Arsene Wenger’s previous moaning about Wilshere’s workload in particular, what are the chances of the Arsenal boss accepting that the 22-year-old could seriously benefit from being the leader of a group of young players trying to win some meaningful silverware for their country? Instead, he’ll be whisked halfway round the world to play in a series of money-spinning friendlies.

The Under-21 Championships are due to take place between June 15-30 next summer, so the fact that England’s senior side have a qualifier in Slovenia on June 14 is obviously a fly in the ointment.

That said, with home games against Slovenia and Lithuania scheduled between now and then, England could well have 15 points from 15 by the time they travel to Ljubljana and Hodgson will be in a position where he could offer players to the Under-21s without seriously impacting England’s qualification for Euro 2016.

Isn’t it time the Football Association started prioritising major youth tournaments in the same way that other major countries have in the last few years?

Germany’s victorious side from the 2009 Under-21s finals is the most obvious example of a youth team progressing en masse to the senior squad and enjoying major success a few years later.

Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Howedes, Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Sami Khedira and Mezut Ozil were all in the starting line-up for the Under-21 final in 2009, and five years later, the sextet were all involved in the squad that won the World Cup in Brazil. At the time they appeared for the Under-21s against England, all six had already appeared in a senior squad.

It is unusual for so many young players to progress so far together, but the German FA’s willingness to drop them all back to Under-21 level when they could have been overlooked because of their graduation to the senior ranks was surely a factor in their progress.

In contrast, only James Milner and Theo Walcott from the England side that lost in the 2009 final can be considered regular members of subsequent senior squads, although the list might well have been longer had Stuart Pearce been able to select a stronger squad.

Two years ago, England’s Under-21 campaign in Israel ended in embarrassment when they finished bottom of a group that featured the hosts, Norway and Italy. Again, Pearce’s hands were tied as he was without a host of players who instead travelled to Brazil for a friendly with the senior squad. That process of pre-World Cup acclimatisation went well didn’t it?

So many of England’s previous failings at World Cups and European Championships have been attributed to an inability to cope with a tournament setting that feels alien and uncomfortable. The only way to deal with that is to ensure the nation’s best young players get as much exposure to tournament football as possible, and that means placing next summer’s finals at the very top of the FA’s priority list.

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THIS week’s BBC Sport Price of Football survey underlined the strides that both Newcastle United and Sunderland have made in recent seasons in an attempt to make Premier League football as affordable as possible.

Newcastle’s £15 match day ticket is the cheapest in the top-flight, and the Magpies have worked assiduously to set up reciprocal away-ticket deals that reduce the cost of their supporters travelling to some of the furthest-flung grounds in the country.

Sunderland’s cheapest season ticket, at £400, is one of the lowest-priced in the league, while the Black Cats have pioneered a series of initiatives such as a £20 travel card, interest-free payment policy and expanded family zone with additional junior season cards for just £25 in an attempt to make attendance more manageable.

Both clubs are businesses, and ultimately they have to attempt to cover their costs. But in tough economic times, it is good to see them at least trying to address supporters’ financial concerns.

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BELATED congratulations to Newcastle Falcons, who snapped a lengthy Aviva Premiership losing run as they recorded back-to-back wins over Exeter and London Welsh this month.

Last season was a slog for Dean Richards’ side, but there are strong signs that the current campaign should be much more enjoyable at Kingston Park.