Notts' future England international

Last updated : 11 December 2007 By Paul Smith
Pearce will play for England one day. For that I have no doubts with only a major accident by way of injury or off-field problems preventing this. The centre-back just oozes class.

In his three league and one FA Cup appearances so far he has been Notts' best player, and topped it off with a first senior goal to equalise as Notts beat Shrewsbury on Saturday.
Pearce... Could be wearing senior England shirt


That was scheduled as the six-footers final game in black and white, but boss Charlie McParland persuaded new Blues manager Alex McLeish to allow a further month - despite McLeish having yet to see him in action having replaced Pearce's mentor Steve Bruce only a fortnight ago.

At just 17, Pearce's physique is frightening. Despite the frantic, scrappy and physical nature of League Two Pearce has coped superbly, belying his age.

Of course he is helped that his frame enables him to more than match any player and you won't see him pushed off the ball as you might other 17-year old young guns.

In the Premiership and on the international stage today, strength and pace have never been more required - and Pearce is not lacking in either department.

On his return to the side having been surprisingly dropped as the Magpies lost to Macclesfield Town, Pearce excelled against high flying Peterborough United and snuffed out the threat of sharp shooters Aaron McLean and Craig MacKail-Smith with considerable ease.

Sure MacKail-Smith netted the games only goal, but that was more an oppurtunist effort that Pearce himself can certainly not be faulted for.

The Birmingham City academy graduate has made mistakes, but he can be forgiven for that given his age and the fact he had never made a competitive domestic appearance until his Notts debut against Histon.

The best thing about him though, is the way he rectifies them. Against the Posh twice he let MacKail-Smith rob him of possession, and twice he managed to get back and stem the danger - the second memorably.

Ferdinand... Similar player to Pearce
Because as the United forward tackled Pearce and raced through on goal one-on-one with Kevin Pilkington, Pearce came flying back, shoved him aside and played the ball neatly to his full-back as if the danger was never there. In truth it looked a sure fire Posh opener.

That game saw Notts slip to their fifth successive defeat, but it says something of Pearce's mental toughness, again incredibly strong despite his rawness, that he slotted back into the side and has been a huge factor in Notts halting the slide.

And boy can he play. Rio Ferdinand gets all the plaudits in the modern game for being a ball playing centre-back, and Pearce is exactly the same. Rarely will he loft it forward aimlessly as most League Two defenders do, and instead he will look to pass it out, find a team-mate and generally look a different class.

He has also got a goal in him as shown on Saturday as he rose high from a corner and determinedly notched home the rebound after his header was saved.

He has all the attributes of a future full international, and of course as already made his mark for England with under-17 and under-19 honours to his name.

That Premiership Brum have already handed him a professional contract shy of his 18th birthday illustrates his potential, and Bruce had clearly earmarked him as a future regular at St. Andrews sending him to Nottingham with the message that he could push for first team football once he returned.

Thankfully for Notts his return isn't quite yet - particularly ahead of a crucial Christmas period where Pearce will prove invaluable.

Some might say 'if he is that good, why isn't he pushing for a place at City yet?' The fact that he will be when returning - unfortunately a permananet Notts deal is nowehere near likely - says something. But also 17-year-olds in
Defoe... Memorable spell with Bournemouth
the Premiership are hardly common place except for the notable exceptions such as Wayne Rooney who was quite simply on another planet to all others of his age at the time.

Others will say 'why has he come all the way down to League Two?' It might have something to do with Notts' contacts, but it is of course mainly to do with the type of football generally on show.

Current England stars such as Ferdinand, Jermaine Defoe and Micheal Carrick all dropped down to the lower leagues as a youngster to learn their trade.

Ferdinand performed for Bournemouth with similar class to Pearce, but as an 18-year old and is now regarded as one of the best defenders in the world.

It all has to start somewhere, and Pearce is showing all the potential to achieve similar things to Ferdinand, and become a future international star.

Can you believe he is still just 17?