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VIDEO: Middlesbrough v Manchester City press conference.
Wheater call-up another feather in Academy cap
GARETH Southgate believes
David Wheater has what it takes
to make the step up to the full
England squad, having proved
his credentials against some of
the world's best strikers in the
Premier League this season.
Wheater yesterday capped a remarkable
12 months when he
was called up to Fabio Capello's
provisional 30-man squad for
next week's friendly in France.
Less than a year after playing
in League Two during a 16-match
loan spell at Darlington, the 21-
year-old's surprise emergence in
the top flight this season has
earned the Middlesbrough defender
many plaudits.
And none more so than Capello,
who has also called up Middlesbrough
winger Stewart
Downing for the friendly with
France in Paris on March 26.
Former England defender
Southgate earned 57 caps for the
national side and the Boro boss is
confident Wheater can make the
grade at international level.
He said: "It will give him confidence.
He'll see the gulf isn't
huge. He often performs against
the best in the league.
"The style of football will be
different but hopefully his time
in the England youth teams will
help in that respect but it will be
more about how he handles
everything that surrounds the
England squad rather than the
football itself.
"The football can take care
of itself if you're mindset is
right, it's the additional
spotlight, the circus that
surrounds it all really. Some
players can deal with
that no problem, others
find it difficult."
Wheater is the latest
product to
emerge from Midd
l e s b r o u g h ' s
much-acclaimed
Academy, which
has already produced
the likes of
Downing and England
under-21 duo
Lee Cattermole and
Adam Johnson.
The Redcar-born
defender, who has
been a regular in
Stuart Pearce's under-21 setup,
was part of Middlesbrough's FA
Youth Cup-winning squad in
2004.
"It's really positive for the
academy - a great feather in their
cap," said Southgate. "Dave Parnaby
(Academy manager) has always
sung David Wheater's
praises as possibly being the best
of the crop but David had to go
and show that and he's done that
this season.
"Sometimes the spells away
when it looks like you're fighting
to stay at the club that can have
a good effect. Then, when you get
in the side to know you have the
faith of the people picking you
every week lifts you to another
level. What he's done is off his
own bat, it's really down to him."
Despite impressing on loan at
Darlington at the back end of last
season, Wheater's first-team opportunities
at the Riverside Stadium
appeared to be limited.
But, defensive injuries in preseason
allowed Wheater to
stake his claim.
And the Teessider, who
made his first-team debut
against Sporting Lisbon in
the Uefa Cup in 2005, has
certainly made the
most of his opportunities
this season,
and is now a
regular in Southgate's
back-line.
"The downside
of a small squad
is that you get a
few injuries and
you're stretched
but the positive is
young players get
their chance," said
Southgate.
"Without an opportunity
who knows if
they can make it.
That's what's happened with
David. He's got an opportunity he
might not have got at another
club and he's grabbed it.
"From the first pre-season
game he was in our team and was
our best defender in pre-season.
"So he was always going to
start the season then it was a
case of could he hold his place
when people came back and he
came through that.
"Last season he had a loan
spell at Darlington, he had a spell
at Wolves where Mick (Mc-
Carthy) didn't think he was up to
it at the time - and he probably
wasn't."
Southgate revealed that Middlesbrough's
decision to sell
Jonathan Woodgate to Spurs for
£7m, was, in part, motivated by
the club's financial situation.
But he added that the form of
Wheater also made Woodgate's
departure easier to deal with in
January.
"Clearly there was an element
of us having to balance the books
in selling Jonathan," admitted
Southgate. "But I wouldn't let
anyone go unless I thought we
had a good replacement available
to come in.
"Jonathan was a fantastic
player so it was still a difficult decision
to make. Jonathan, as he's
proving at Tottenham, would be
an asset to whoever took him, but
for us to be able to get that money
back knowing we had David's
quality to come in took some of
the risk out of the decision.
"It was still a huge risk but
David's fulfilling the potential we
saw."
Capello's squad will be reduced
to a final group of 23 players on
Saturday night.
Wheater is one of seven central
defenders named yesterday, and
the defender will be hoping to
make the final cut when Capello
holds his first training session on
Monday.
And if he does make the grade,
Southgate feels the young defender,
who has been compared
to Jack Charlton by former Middlesbrough
and England international
Alan Peacock, will become
a better player for his involvement.
"I think he's just got to go and
take everything in if he's in the
final squad," said the Boro boss.
"Take on board the experience of
working with top players and a
top coach.
"It will be very different for
him in one respect but he has
been in the junior England side
so he's used to being away with
an England set up and he knows
some of the players. He'll be excited
and learn a lot."
8:53am Friday 21st March 2008
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