Tomasz Kuszczak's recent declaration that he is being treated "like a slave" at Manchester United is certainly a dramatic overstatement but the goalkeeper's situation also warrants sympathy.

Many have countered that if being a slave is training everyday and picking up a hefty paycheck, more than a lot of people make in a year, then they would happily accept the hypothetical shackles the Pole is chained to with Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

In November 2007, after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008, The Daily Mail did a quick scout of the country to highlight the players pushing for internation stardom in the future entitled 60 reasons why the future of English football is not as gloomy as you might think...ITS investigates.