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Former Liverpool striker on playing for England

Michael Owen & Emile Heskey

Former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey has been talking about England’s chances at the World Cup and how much it meant to him to represent his country on the international stage.

Despite being capped 62 times by England between 1999 and 2010, Heskey was never seen as a player who excited the majority of supporters, neither at club or international level, but the managers who placed their trust in him, insisted that he offered much more than just goals. He always put a shift in and he worked hard for his team-mates. This is why former Reds boss Gerard Houllier broke the club’s record transfer fee paid for a player in 2000 when he parted with £11million to Leicester City for him.

Houllier had seen Heskey play with Michael Owen for the England Under 18s in France and he thought a pairing at Anfield would be ideal. At the time, Houllier said: “He’s a diamond of a player, he embodies all the right qualities of a professional footballer. He’s very hard-working, sacrifices himself for the team. He’s always decisive because he’s so strong.”

The Anfield faithful may not have been excited about the signing but club legend Ian Rush, a man that knew a thing or two about scoring goals, said he welcomed the move because it would “give Liverpool a different dimension” and it did.

Heskey and Owen pair struck up a prolific partnership during their time together at Anfield and their time together with England also helped their understanding of each other grow. In 2017, when speaking about their time playing together, Heskey said: “Our chemistry just clicked because I was a guy who was more of a feeder, I’d feed people. And when you’ve got someone who can finish like Michael, it makes for a good partnership.”

Heskey was delighted at securing his dream move to Liverpool but being recognised by England was also a big deal to him.

In an exclusive interview with Betway Insider, Heskey was asked if he enjoyed turning out for the Three Lions. “Oh yeah, I loved it,” he said:  “You’ve been selected as the best of the best from your country, so if you don’t get up for that then you shouldn’t really be playing.

“I remember playing for the Under 16s and I thought it was amazing. I played every minute of that like it was going to be my last representing the national team and I tried to keep that attitude throughout my senior career as well.”

Obviously Heskey is keeping a close eye on this year’s World Cup in Qatar and of course England’s chances. He turned out for England alongside Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate, but did he think he’d make a good manager with the national side after hanging up his boots?

Heskey said: “I did actually, yeah. There were two players in that squad who I thought always helped the younger players and seemed like they had leadership qualities, Martin Keown and Gareth.

“They both really took time out to help me as a young player, educating me and talking to me.

“For me, he’s done a stellar job. He’s brought the country back together, galvanised the players and created a superb atmosphere inside the camp.

“Players feel like they’re part of the squad now, which is massive, and he’s been rewarded with the best tournament performances for decades.

“Criticism comes when there’s a downturn, that’s the reality, but you’d hope that he’s earned the time to ride a bit of a blip. The style of play has, at times, been very, very good.

“I just think he deserves a bit of a break. You hear people claiming he’s brilliant after the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020 and then not long later he’s rubbish and everything’s miserable again. It’s like: ‘hang on, two weeks ago you said this.’”

For any chance of Southgate to succeed in Qater, he needs an in-form Harry Kane to be banging in the goals and Heskey believes if anyone is capable of doing just that, Kane is.

He added: “He’s such an impressive player, a world-class forward.

“You don’t get many forwards who score and assist to the extent that he does. He’s got that selfish streak while being a real team player.

“He’s also captain, which is tough as a striker because you really want to be thinking about yourself and the goals that you’re going to score. He does brilliantly to combine those two elements.

“He’s changed his game a lot, too. The way he drops deep reminds me of someone like Bobby Firmino, who links the play and doesn’t worry too much about goals. But then he’s also about to become England’s all-time leading goalscorer.

“There’s a bit of Wayne Rooney about him, I suppose. Wayne wanted the ball, he created space for forwards to run in behind, took the ball on the half-turn and drove at teams.

“Wayne did that in a 4-4-2 system a lot of the time, but the end result is similar. They are both all-round forwards who help their teammates so much.

“I think that’s why Callum Wilson was selected in this squad, too, because he gives you that alternative option of running in behind.

“It’s interesting now, though, with front twos going out of the game. I’ve noticed that when attackers get chucked on to chase a goal, they don’t know how to play together.

“It’s something you saw in Argentina against Saudi Arabia and I’ve spotted it a lot over the last few years. That instinctive combination play, one dropping short and one going in behind, doesn’t seem to exist. Players are running into the same spaces and getting in each other’s way, because they’re used to playing by themselves up there.”