There’s little that can beat playing for England. Whether a player enjoys a solitary cap or becomes a mainstay for years to come – it doesn’t matter. Over the years, England have become somewhat of a bunch of nearly-men and have never reached their full potential, despite their encouraging wealth of talent.

In recent times, England supporters have become increasingly tired with the team's performances, their inability to shine on the biggest stages and often, Gareth Southgate’s poor team selection. But this has seemingly been a reoccurring theme given that England’s only major honour as a footballing nation came when Alf Ramsey’s side reigned victorious in 1966.

Maybe it’s time to recall some of those that have been left behind. Or is it time to give a second chance to players who had waited years to feature in an England shirt just to never be considered ever again?

To put it plainly – no it’s not. Saying that it is a fun task to sift through the lists of those to have received just the one cap for England and forge a starting XI just to see how much talent has gone without getting a genuine look-in over the years. Here's what we've come up with:

GK – Dean Henderson

The new Crystal Palace stopper may find himself shunted off this list in a couple of years. But to date, his only game in an England strip came against the Republic of Ireland in a 2020 friendly as he replaced Nick Pope at half-time.

His irregularity of minutes at former employers Manchester United made him an easy omission in Southgate’s eyes. With potential first-team football beckoning in London for the 26-year-old, it’ll now be a case of proving his worth to the England set-up.

RB – Carl Jenkinson

While the game will be remembered solely for Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s inspired hat-trick showing, Jenkinson will remember it as his first – and most probably last – time showing out for his nation. He played just 16 minutes as he replaced Glen Johnson, but never stepped foot onto a pitch in the fabled white ever again.

Jenkinson was Arsenal’s first-choice right-back upon his arrival as Bacary Sagna was ruled out with a broken leg, though that failed to transcend from domestic proceedings to the international scene.

CB – Steven Caulker

Just like Jenkinson, Caulker featured in England’s 4-2 loss against Sweden when the enigmatic Ibrahimovic ran riot. Following his subpar debut – not just because of Ibrahimovic’s goal rout – the ex-Liverpool centre-back failed to re-integrate himself into his nation’s squad and instead turned his allegiance to Sierra Leone, whom he has starred for on 13 occasions so far.

CB – Neil ‘Razor’ Ruddock

Commonly known for his no-nonsense approach to defending, the imposing centre-half made England bow against Nigeria in 1994 when Terry Venables was at the helm. He was a vital cog for Liverpool at the time but was typically overlooked internationally, though he did earn one more than the imperious Steve Bruce. Strange.

It was just unfortunate that Ruddock was involved when the likes of Tony Adams were knocking about. Just a bad coincidence, some would say.

LB – David Unsworth

Synonymous around Merseyside for being an Everton cult hero, the same cannot be said about his time in England threads. Across two spells for the Toffees, he hit the 350-appearance milestone but notched just the one for England.

None other than Gary Neville also put on the famous white for the first time that evening, too, but the Bury-born ace would go on to make 84 more appearances.

CM – Joey Barton

Controversial as he was, it would be naïve to say that Barton was not a good midfielder. It was just other aspects of his career, both on and off the pitch, that would cloud over his innate ability.

The midfielder gained his only England cap back in 2007 when England welcomed Spain at Old Trafford, an affair the visitors won 1-0. Now managing at Bristol Rovers, he was a regular at Manchester City around the time of his debut, but that held no weight in the eyes of the England management team.

CM – Lee Bowyer

You’ve got to feel sorry for the likes of Barton and Bowyer for having to compete with the Golden Generation’s batch of midfielders: Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Paul Scholes, and David Beckham.

The 46-year-old’s singular appearance for the Three Lions was granted against Portugal in 2002, albeit just being a friendly. Having played for a host of Premier League sides, there was little doubt about his quality – he was just unfortunate.

RW – Matt Jarvis

Although he vowed not to become a one-cap wonder, that was the eventuality for former Wolverhampton Wanderers ace Jarvis. At the back end of March 2011, the wide man was relied upon by Fabio Capello as England saw out a 1-1 draw with Ghana as Jarvis and the rest of the team were not able to inspire any sort of positive result. And that’s all she wrote for the Middlesbrough-born star.

Read More: Naming England’s best starting XI based on transfer value

ST – Francis Jeffers

One cap. One goal. Mr. 100 per cent, Jeffers was one of England’s most prolific goalscorers in their history, statistically. Albeit a consolation goal in a 3-1 loss to Australia, they all count.

His cameo was (understandably) overshadowed by the fact that all eyes were on 17-year-old Wayne Rooney, who was also making his international bow. Jeffers, who had become part of the Arsenal set-up two years prior, endured a series of injuries and his career began to dissipate.

ST – David Nugent

Nugent earned the rightful call-ups as he was firing on all cylinders for Preston North End in the Championship. He, too, managed to net in his first – and only – outing for his nation, although Jermain Defoe’s goal-bound shot was already inches away from the net. Goal poacher.

Later that year, following a promising stint with Preston, a move to Portsmouth beckoned. Nugent was unable to find his feet at his new stomping ground, which, in turn, might be the underlying reason for his sole cap.

LW – Harvey Barnes

It only felt right including Barnes since he is flirting with the possibility of representing Scotland. The Newcastle United ace is considering switching national allegiances in a bid to enhance his international game time.

Despite starring for Leicester City, Barnes has been left out of the England squad on many occasions, with his only bow to date coming against Wales in a 3-0 victory; however, he only made a 14-minute cameo.