Downing’s England career should have been over.
He last played for England in May 2012, and since then has failed to overly impress on a domestic level.
However, since Sam Allardyce moved him from the wing into a central midfield role, Downing has seen his career come back to life.
He’s creative, brilliant at moving the ball forward, and has been influential in scoring and setting up goals this season.
He’s got big things to bring to England, and hopefully Roy Hodgson makes good use of them.