10 English talents who failed to live up to the hype

A promising start to the career for a football player often results in hype and expectations from the media and fans. This is all the more prevalent in England where talented youngsters are put under instant scrutiny and are touted to be the next big thing.With the hype comes intense pressure, and there are some who thrive under this while there are others who fade away. Factors like injuries and bad luck can result in a players career taking a nosedive, or it could be simply be that his abilities were overestimated and the hype was false.We look at 10 English talents in the last decade who failed to live up to the hype generated around them.

#10 Stewart Downing

Hailed by many as the answer to England’s dilemma for the left wing position, Downing will feel that he hasn’t done justice to his abilities in his career which can be best described as a mixed bag.

He was relatively successful at Middlesbrough and Aston Villa which led to him getting a big money transfer to Liverpool. But his stay at Liverpool was anything but memorable as he failed to justify the £20 million that the club paid for him. The lack of assists and goals by him was ridiculed universally and the player soon found himself sold to West Ham.

He has appeared in 34 matches for the England national team, but failed to make any significant impact. And with the focus now on grooming youngsters for the future, it is likely that the southpaw won’t feature in the international setup again.