Matty Jarvis: From Gillingham to England

Fabio Capello claimed he wants to inject a new face of young talent into his current England setup and the introduction of such players like Chris Smalling, Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll, Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs is very evident of the Italian's intent.

Not many will have heard of Matthew Jarvis however. The latest name to be faced with the huge possibility of wearing the Three Lions, and a player who I have had a huge admiration for since he made his professional debut, aged just 17. Yes that's correct, I was there when Jarvis was, what some football fans would call, "just a boy" but oh, how that boy has matured and become one of the most direct, creative and energetic wingers of the Premier League of now.
Jarvis, now 24, currently plies his trade in the Midlands with Mick McCarthy's Wolverhampton Wanderers and his performances in the last two years have earnt him lavish praise from colleagues, opponents and pundits alike across the land. He has proved to be one of Wolves' most instrumental figures in their attacking play and he contains all the key attributes in which Fabio Capello likes to see in his young players.

At Gillingham, Jarvis was described as pacey, skillful and a player with a good ability to read the game by many supporters. One of them would have been me. Yes we've been hear before, discussing the great loins of the KRBS Priestfield stadium and better yet, the characters to grace the turf of the Medway ground from Simeon Jackson, Jack Payne to now. But Jarvis is better. At Gillingham, Jarvis was and always will be known as a 'Gillingham legend', and I for one thought he was a brilliant footballer, regardless of his young age. It seems the numerous opinions of myself plus the Gills faithful have not gone unnoticed.

The 2006-2007 season was a busy one for Jarvis' reputation in the game. Transfer bids from both then-boss Ian Holloway's Plymouth Argyle and Nottingham Forest were knocked back as well as a keen interest from local rivals Charlton Athletic. His performances during this impressive season as Gillingham's key player earned him a place in PFA's League One Team of the Year and gave Gills' fans a sense of pride knowing one of their own was moving on to big things. Chairman Paul Scally had revealed Jarvis was close to a move, as well as predicting his most prized asset would be on the verge of an England call-up by the time he was 24.

Jarvis has hit 24, and Scally was right. The winger has been receiving backing by many to be the next addition in Fabio Capello's young alliance, and what a ladder that young boy would have climbed in such a short space of time.

It was 2007 when Jarvis left Gillingham for then Championship Wolves. At first, he struggled to settle into life in the Black Country both on and off the field and became linked with his hometown club Middlesbrough. Coupled with this were constant knee and hip injuries for Jarvis, and many begun to doubt his true ability however he came back strong and helped his side to promotion to the Premier League, and since his transfer from the lower leagues to the best league in the world, he has not looked back. Many Premier League sides now see Jarvis as McCarthy's most dangerous weapon. Known for operating either flank, Jarvis' pace, trickery and ability and confidence in using both feet make him a handful and something beneficial to Wolves and maybe soon to England.

Despite not being the most goalscoring midfielders, with only 26 goals in 230 professional appearances, Jarvis' main threats come from his speed and wide variation of creativity. It are these skills which have attracted major interest from clubs like Liverpool and Everton in the race to sign the Wolves man, a race which has been ongoing for some time now. Whether or not McCarthy wishes to sell, it will not be long before Jarvis is going international and challenging the best in the country to become known as one of the best wingers in England.