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England's one-cap wonder XI, including ex-Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and Liverpool stars

talksport.com, 23 March 2023, 11:48
Playing for England is often regarded as the highlight of a player's career - but ecstasy can soon turn to despair following an international debut.

It's fair to say that the Three Lions have numerous 'one-cap wonders' that have drifted away from selection after pulling on an England jersey.

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From teenagers tipped for stardom to strikers in the prime of their career, many failed to expand on their solitary cap.

Since taking charge of England in 2016, Gareth Southgate has handed debuts to a number of footballers but not all have played again.

Incredibly, Leicester playmaker James Maddison has featured just once for England, where he has been left out of numerous squads, while the knee injury that plagued him at the World Cup has also contributed to him not featuring since 2019.

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His Foxes teammates Harvey Barnes and James Justin are two others that have featured just once, along with goalkeeper Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson and Brighton defender Lewis Dunk.

However with those players still impressing in the Premier League, there is every chance they could be called up again.

But what about thos who didn't get that chance? talkSPORT.com takes a look at England's best one-cap wonder XI.

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Goalkeeper - Chris Kirkland

The former Liverpool goalkeeper was tipped to become a future England No1.

But he struggled for consistency for the Reds, before being shipped off on loan to Wigan for the 2005/06 season.

And he impressed at the Latics, which earned him his only England appearance against Greece in a 4-0 friendly win in 2006.

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Kirkland eventually joined Wigan on a permanent deal, before moving on in 2012.

Right-back -Carl Jenkinson

Following his move to boyhood club Arsenal from Charlton in 2011, Jenkinson enjoyed a run in the Gunners starting XI after right-back Bacary Sagna broke his leg.

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He continued to feature at the start of 2012/13 campaign, which resulted in him being called up for the friendly against Sweden in November 2012.

He came on as a substitute in the 74th minute in place of Glen Johnson, but failed to shine as the Three Lions lost 4-2 following Zlatan Ibrahimovic's inspired hat-trick display.

Jenkinson, who is now plying his trade in Australia for Newcastle Jets, was never called up for England duty again.

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Left-back - David Unsworth

The Everton legend made 350 appearances for the Merseyside outfit across two spells.

A tough-tackling defender, Unsworth made his only England cap against Japan in 1995.

Despite being a Premier League regular throughout the rest of the 1990s and early 2000s, he didn't feature again.

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Centre-back - Neil Ruddock

The no-nonsense centre-back played for England in a friendly against Nigeria in 1994 under terry Venables.

The ex-Tottenham and West Ham defender was a key payer for Liverpool at the time, but he was constantly overlooked following his debut.

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But he did manage to earn one more cap than title-winning Manchester United captain Steve Bruce.

Centre-back - Steven Caulker

Another former Liverpool and Spurs centre-back, Caulker scored on his England debut in 2012.

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Like Jenkinson, he played in the 4-2 defeat to Sweden.

After failing to win a place back in the Three Lions squad, he switched his international allegiance to Sierra Leone, who he has since represented on 11 occasions.

Central midfield - Lee Bowyer

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The 46-year-old's only England outing came against Portugal in a friendly in 2002.

There can be no doubting Bowyer's obvious quality considering he was a key player for Leeds, West Ham, Newcastle and Birmingham in the Premier League.

But during his prime, he failed to be given anymore opportunities with Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes and David Beckham ahead of him in the pecking order.

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Central midfield - Ryan Mason

The Tottenham coach managed to chip in with an assist on his England debut in 2015 against Italy - setting up Andros Towsend in the 1-1 draw.

Mason may have earned more than one cap had he not been forced to retire in 2018 after sustaining a career-ending head injury.

He swiftly moved into coaching, where he was Spurs' caretaker manager in 2021 following Jose Mourinho's sacking.

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And if Antonio Conte is relieved of his duties by Daniel Levy, he could once again turn to Mason.

Central midfield - David Dunn

Just like Bowyer, Dunn made his only England outing against Portugal in 2002, where he was a half-time replacement for Gerrard.

There were calls for him to be given more chances under Sven-Goran Eriksson due to his performances with Blackburn, but the Swede refused to give him another.

Reflecting on his international career, he said: "I know that I should've had more caps. I truly wish that I'd knuckled down at times and pushed myself that bit more.

"I'm really proud that I played professionally for my country, it's what I started out wanting to do but there's always that little bugbear that I could and maybe should've had more caps."

Forward - David Nugent

Nugent was handed a surprise call-up in 2007 by Steve McClaren with the forward in fine form for Championship side Preston at the time.

He became the first outfield player to feature for England while playing in the second-tier since Sunderland icon Michael Gray in 1999.

And he made it a memorable match for himself after getting on the score sheet in a Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra, though Jermain Defoe wouldn't have been too happy with him.

Defoe's goal-bound shot was set to cross over the line, before Nugent stormed in and smashed it into the empty net.

Forward - Francis Jeffers

Like Caulker and Nugent, ex-Gunners man Jeffers scored on his only England outing, as he guided a fine header into the bottom left corner.

That came in a 3-1 defeat against Australia in 2003 at Upton Park - the same match where Wayne Rooney made his debut.

Big things were expected of Jeffers after he joined Arsenal for an initial £8million from Everton in 2001, but he scored just eight goals in 39 matches.

Forward - Chris Sutton

Sutton led Blackburn to their only Premier League title in 1995 by forging a brilliant partnership with Alan Shearer up top.

But it took two years for him to make an appearance for England, under Glenn Hoddle in a friendly clash against Cameroon.

His poor relationship with Hoddle saw him left out of the 1998 World Cup squad and, after refusing to play for the England B team, he was never picked again for the senior squad.

Sutton left Blackburn in 1999 to join Chelsea, before moving to Celtic where he banged in 86 goals in 199 matches.

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