There are few footballing nations that can match England for the weight of expectation placed on the national team. Equally, there are not many that have suffered such a long record of disappointment. Many special talents have promised to deliver long-awaited glory before, but in Connor Wickham , England may finally have found a player with the ability and mentality to succeed at the highest level.
At 17-years-old, Wickham has already made his mark at both club and international level. The big striker scored four goals for Ipswich Town in last season's Championship, having started only five games, and last month he scored the winner for England in the European Under-17 Championship final against Spain.
Ipswich Town have a proud tradition of developing young players. Bobby Robson molded a highly-successful team at Portman Road in the late 1970s and early 1980s which was comprised largely of local talent. Wickham is not actually a local boy, but he is certainly being nurtured in the finest traditions of the club.
Wickham spent four years training at Reading and only moved to Ipswich as a 13-year-old because his father, a military man, was transferred from Aldershot to Colchester. Having fallen into their lap, Wickham became Ipswich's youngest ever player at the age of 16 years and 11 days, coming off the bench in a 3-1 defeat to Doncaster in April 2009.
So far, he has progressed seamlessly to become an important component of manager Roy Keane's side. Wickham's most obvious asset is his physique. At 6ft 4in tall and weighing in at 14 stone, his strength is clearly a handful for any defence. However, Wickham is still growing and will only increase his power.
It would be very unfair though to label Wickham as merely a powerful target man. There is plenty more to his game. He has an excellent eye for goal, and having scored three goals in four games in April 2010, he was voted the Football League Young Player of the Month. During the European Under-17 Championship a month later, he scored two goals in the semi-final with his left foot and the winner in the final with his right. His goal in the final also displayed Wickham's ability to take the ball past players, as he drifted past two Spanish defenders before applying a powerful finish. There appears to be no real weakness to his game.
It is perhaps no surprise that Tottenham are rumoured to have offered Ipswich £5million for Wickham earlier this year. When he plays for Ipswich's first team or reserves, the club reportedly has to find around two dozen tickets for the scouts who come to watch him.
While many youngsters might let this kind of rapid rise go to their heads, Wickham appears to be an incredibly level-headed young man. England Under-17 coach John Peacock commented, "He’s had a lot of accolades this year but he’s dealt with it all in a very mature manner."
With the notoriously tough Roy Keane as his manager, Wickham has retained admirable modesty. Interviewed shortly before the European Under-17 Championships, Wickham showed his characteristic humility, commenting, “I’ve got my driving test in the week we get back from the Euros, in the first week of June. I’ve had 25-30 hours of lessons. I’m confident I can pass.”
Ipswich Town legend Kevin Beattie predicted, "The boy has everything, strength, skill, the lot. It would not surprise me if he were partnering Wayne Rooney up front for England in a few years time. He impresses me that much."