Position: Midfielder
Born: 28.07.81
Club: Tottenham

Tottenham's re-emergence as a significant Premiership force has largely been brought about by a crop of dynamic young English players - and classy central midfielder Michael Carrick is arguably the pick of the bunch.

His pedigree is particularly impressive. As a youngster, he turned out for Wallsend Boys Club, following in the footsteps of Peter Beardsley and Alan Shearer. However, instead of staying in the North-East, he joined West Ham's Academy set-up, truly a production line of talent from which England are now reaping the benefits.

Carrick's first two international caps came either side of his 20th birthday, as he took the field as a substitute against Mexico and Holland in 2001.

But despite the Hammers' impressive seventh-place finish in 2001/2, competition for places deprived Carrick of a place at the last World Cup - but with youth on his side, he was on course for a glittering career.

Then came the setbacks. Carrick's form suffered and then injury struck shortly before West Ham were relegated. His team-mates and friends were sold off, but Carrick stuck around in the Championship - only to suffer play-off final heartbreak in May 2004.

With his career having nose-dived, all parties agreed it was time to move on and Spurs benefited for a cut-price £2.75million two summers ago. Carrick's debut was delayed (again, injury was the cause) but a determined approach saw him become a regular starter under Martin Jol, leading to an England recall and two full caps on the US tour.

Unused in qualifying, the 25-year-old had to wait until the Uruguay friendly in March to taste international action again. But a tidy and thoughtful display showed why Carrick is a man to depend on, and that is a vitally important quality to consider when selecting a World Cup squad.