THERE used to be a school of thought which suggested Arsene Wenger was the worst thing to have happened to the England football team.

He was taunted for his policy of scouring the world for bargain foreign youngsters and criticised for regularly fielding Arsenal teams without a single Englishman in the squad.

Not anymore.

Not with Theo Walcott speaking with maturity as the European qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland approach.

Not with 19-year-old Arsenal reserve goalkeeper James Shea training with the England squad after Ben Foster and Scott Carson skipped the session with knee and back injuries.

Not with 20-year-old defender Kieran Gibbs in the senior squad and attacking midfielder Jack Wilshere in the Under -21s.

Put it like that and it looks like Wenger has been a friend of England football after all. In fact, it looks as if Arsenal, with an academy bursting with young English talent, could be the backbone of the England set-up for years to come.

The appearance of Shea might have been out of proximity to the London Colney training base as much as for his eye-catching talent but he will have made his mark on England manager Fabio Capello.

Thorny problem

The goalkeeping position has been one of Capello's thorniest problems.

While Joe Hart looks as if he could be the answer, the presence of Shea - who played six times for Arsenal reserves last season as well as being included in the squad for the Carling Cup match against West Brom - is a reminder that there is English talent on the horizon.

It is the talent centre stage, however, which will determine Capello's future when England take on Bulgaria at Wembley on Saturday (Singapore time) and Switzerland away on Wednesday. In particular, that of Walcott.

Capello would never admit it but he must rue his ruthless axing of Walcott from his World Cup squad. He reasoned at the time that Walcott did not follow orders, but he might have been just the player to inject zest and pace into England's lethargic performances in South Africa.

Like a man with a point to prove, Walcott has shown this season what Capello and England missed.

He scored the first hat-trick of his club career against newly-promoted Blackpool in a 6-0 home win in the second game of the new season.

Sumptuous goal

Last Saturday, he scored another sumptuous goal against Blackburn at Ewood Park in Arsenal's 2-1 victory.

Those were not the goals of a player who has been accused, by former England winger Chris Waddle and TV pundit Alan Hansen, of not possessing a footballing brain.

There was evidence suggesting the 21-year-old Walcott was coming of age in the Premier League.

If so, then much of the credit goes to Wenger, who also had a major hand in the education of Ashley Cole, who came through the ranks at Arsenal before his controversial move to Chelsea - where he is touted, in some parts, as the best left-back in the world.

And there's more.

At least there is if the Arsenal academy which spawned Gibbs and Wilshere brings through another promising wave of youngsters, all with British passports.

Players such as Mark Randall, who has been on loan at Burnley and MK Dons, and lads such as 19-year-old Henri Lansbury, with two appearances already for the England Under-21s and 19-year-old Sanchez Watt, currently on loan at Leeds.

It is time to stop knocking Wenger for all those foreigners. He might just be the architect of England's future.