Arsenal Starlet Trains With England

As Steve McClaren’s England prepared to face Holland in a friendly on Wednesday night, the England boss encouterd a problem whilst conducting a training session at the best training facilities in the country.

England often use Arsenal’s more than impressive equipment at the training round at Shenley, but on this occasion McClaren was left short after a number of players pulled out with injury.

Arsenal youngster Matthew Connolly was just finish a training session of his own when he was approached by Neil Banfield who had been asked to invite Connolly to training with the England stars.

Connolly eagerly obliged, and now tells of his excitment.

‘I had just finished training with Arsenal, then Neil Banfield said that England wanted to borrow me,’ he told the Arsenal Magazine.

‘It was great. We played a few mini-matches at the end and I was in the same team as Wayne Rooney, Joe Cole and Micah Richards. I think I did quite well.’

‘John Terry spoke to me for a while,’ added Connolly. ‘He asked me what position I play and we just had a little chat, which was great because he`s someone I look up to.’

‘I also spoke to Ashley Cole and Micah Richards, and the session lasted about an hour in all. I really enjoyed it.’

Just one word of advice Matthew, don’t spend too much time listening to the pearls of wisdom of Ashley Cole, unlike him, you are still liked at Arsenal.