English players plying their trade abroad remains a pretty rare phenomenon.
The likes of Gary Lineker, Paul Gascoigne and Steve McManaman all enjoyed successful spells for various European heavyweights in the past.
DREAM TEAM EXCLUSIVE OFFER: BET £5, GET A FREE £20 BET
But aside from forgettable hiatuses for Joe Cole and Joe Hart, the prospect of moving abroad remains relatively obscure for the current England crop.
So which players, who are perhaps struggling for game time with their clubs, should consider a new environment to revive their careers?
We looked at six who reckon would thrive in different leagues…
DANIEL STURRIDGE
League: Ligue 1
Club: Monaco
It’s no secret that Sturridge’s horrific injury record has spoiled a once seriously promising career, with his displays for Liverpool this season lacking the same vibrancy as before.
So a move to France and Ligue 1 might be the perfect remedy.
In France, strikers are still king and Radamel Falcao is the perfect example of how an injury-plagued and fading career can go full circle at Monaco.
Ligue 1 is less frenetic than the Premier League, so Sturridge will have the comfort of being the main man at a club without the supreme intensity of English football.
JACK WILSHERE
League: Bundesliga
Club: RB Leipzig
It’s a similar if not more heartbreaking story for Wilshere, whose sustained confinement to the sidelines appears to have ended his chances of being England’s next big hope.
At 25, Wilshere still very much has time to turn it around and Germany.
RB Leizpig are the new force in the Bundesliga after their stunning second-placed finish last season and Wilshere would really suit their tempo.
If, and that’s a big caveat, he can stay fit, some time away from the damning English press would be liberating and he could be the ideal replacement for Liverpool-bound Naby Keita.
ANDY CARROLL
League: La Liga
Club: Atletico Madrid
Here’s a thought, ever pictured what Carroll would look like in the famous Atletico Madrid red and white?
Probably not, but that’s why you’re too short sighted.
Carroll, when fit and firing, is a centre-back’s worst nightmare due to his relentless physicality and Diego Simeone’s Atletico tactics are tailor made to his strengths.
Antoine Griezmann and Yannick Carrasco feeding off Carroll’s knock downs? Yes please.
THEO WALCOTT
League: Serie A
Club: Roma
Everyone knows Serie A is the perfect breeding ground for rehabilitating Premier League flops.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Juan Cuadrado and Suso have all turned their careers around in Italy and Walcott could do a lot worse than contemplating a change of scenery.
Salah’s extreme pace was an instant hit at Roma after failing to make an impression at Chelsea, and the Italian capital club could do with a speedy replacement for the Liverpool forward.
JOHN STONES
League: La Liga
Club: Barcelona
Now Stones isn’t exactly in need of a move after a fine start to the season with Manchester City, but hypothetically he and Barcelona are a match made in heaven.
The former Everton centre-back has the best passing statistics in the Premier League this campaign, which is exactly the kind of traits the Catalans demand.
Samuel Umtiti has been a brilliant signing but there’s certainly been question marks over Gerard Pique’s longevity, so Stones would be the ideal long-term replacement.
ROSS BARKLEY
League: Argentine Primera Division
Club: Boca Juniors
A truly wildcard option, but this is all hypothetical so why the f*** not?
Barkley isn’t wanted at Everton whilst the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham have balked at both his transfer fee and wage demands.
So why not try a club like Boca Juniors who simply deify a decent number 10?
Barkley would have the license to express himself in Argentina and could follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest in Diego Maradona and Juan Roman Riquelme.
