Maiden callups are all the rage with the England national teams today, although the one that excites me far more than Rickie Lambert's for the senior side is Todd Kane's for the under-21 side. The right back, on loan once again at Blackburn Rovers from Chelsea, graduates to the next level having represented England at the under-19 level eight times, scoring once.
Kane joins Nathaniel Chalobah, the only other Chelsea representative, in the 25-man squad named for Tuesday's friendly versus Scotland. You might think this is hardly news that we should care about,* but in addition to the simple fact that I like Kane and thus I like writing about him, there is one detail that stands out from the norm in this particular squad selection.
* in which case you're reading this because ... ?
The entirely uninspiring Stuart Pearce was (finally) let go following England's disastrous European U21 Championships campaign this summer, but the FA has yet to appoint a successor. In the absence of an actual head coach, it was Roy Hodgson who supposedly made this selection and the fact that he rates Todd Kane (along with seven other debutants in the squad) should bode well for the 19-year-old's future.
While Todd is behind both Cesar Azpilicueta, Branislav Ivanovic in the pecking order at the moment and has strong future competition in the Brazilian Wallace, another strong season at Blackburn along with international recognition could certainly go a long ways toward securing a future at Chelsea for a true Blue Blood.