Much was made at the time of Arsenal not having a single representative in England’s World Cup squad this summer. It does not need to be reiterated how disastrous that particular expedition was but now, with manager Fabio Capello, keen to sprinkle some fresh impetus into his squad, several of Arsenal’s English youngsters are now finally receiving the opportunity they deserve.

The re-call of Theo Walcott for Wednesday’s friendly against Hungary was hardly surprising given that the Three Lions in South Africa were crying out for a player who offers his directness, if not his oft haphazard crossing. The inclusions of Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs, however, are significantly more interestingly and, importantly, a testament to the hard work of the coaches at Hale End who strive arduously every day in an attempt to bring through potential young stars of the future.

Wilshere, who will become the 10th youngest player to receive an England cap if he features, has long been earmarked by Capello as a potential player to ‘fast-track’ and to add some attacking intent to his side, although it is interesting to ponder whether he still would have been included had England not endured such a disastrous World Cup campaign. Gibbs, however, was much more likely to make the plane to South Africa as back-up to another Arsenal youth product in the much-derided Ashley Cole. Gibbs, however, suffered an unfortunate injury against Standard Liege that ruled him out of any competitive action for the remainder of the campaign and subsequently significantly curtailed his chances of appearing at the World Cup. Now, however, the Lambeth-born prospect appears to be a firm part of Capello’s plans and seems to have edged ahead of both Leighton Baines and Stephen Warnock in the Italian’s thinking.

But that is just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond those three, there are several other exciting young talents at Arsenal who could one day also make the step up to the senior side. Henri Lansbury, who was promoted to the first-team squad last week, appears the most viable candidate and was called into the England under-21 squad yesterday as a replacement for the injured Andy Carroll. The incredibly versatile Jay Emmanuel-Thomas is another with great potential although he has been surprisingly overlooked by England at youth level in recent years, most probably because of his inability to settle down in a specific position.

Slightly further down the pecking order, the likes of Benik Afobe and Chuks Aneke have impressed for England at under-17 level, whilst it is far too early to even consider whether Zak Ansah will have a career at the top level internationally. One thing is for certain, however, this is just the beginning of Arsenal youth products forcing their way into the England squad and it looks set to continue for quite some time to come.