Leading the way: Parker trains with England at Wembley on the eve of the Holland match

His team were struggling, slipping ever closer towards relegation, but Parker continued to battle in a manner that made him a worthy recipient of the footballer writers’ Footballer of the Year award.

In the end, even Capello cracked, with a European qualifying encounter against Wales in March 2011 the audition that Parker had craved.

In the holding role he looked a natural, and a player capable of handling the pressure of international football, given how much was at stake for him personally that day.

Since then, Parker has established himself in the national team to the point where he is now one of the first names on the team-sheet. Jack Wilshere so enjoyed having him alongside him he urged Arsenal to buy him ahead of Tottenham last summer.

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