Platt's FA fast track

BBC Sport Online's Matt Slater plots David Platt's rise from manageriaI mediocrity to becoming a genuine candidate for England manager.

For a man whose greatest accomplishment as a manager is taking a reasonable side to the heady heights of 11th in Division One last season, David Platt can already contemplate a glittering career path.

Having joined the England set-up as full-time coach of the Under-21 team, the former Nottingham Forest manager is arguably Sven Goran Eriksson's heir apparent.

  David Platt factfile

1988: Signed by Aston Villa for £200,000 from Crewe

1990: Selected for England's World Cup squad. Scores winner against Belgium in 2nd round tie

1991: Sold to Italian club Bari for £5.5m

1992: Moves from Bari to Juventus for £6.5m

1993: Joins Sampdoria for £5.2m, taking combined transfer fees to £17.4m

1995: Joins Arsenal for £4.75m

1998: Retires from playing. Coaches England U-18 and U-19 teams 17 Dec - Confirmed as boss of Sampdoria

1999: 2 Feb - Leaves after the Italian club after just seven weeks. 1 Jul - Becomes manager of Nottingham Forest

2001: Forest finish six points off the Div 1 play-offs 12 Jul - Becomes England U-21 coach

Not bad for a man whose managerial CV includes an embarrassing seven-week episode on the sidelines at Italian side Sampdoria.

But then Platt's career has always been about being in the right place at the right time.

An honest but not prodigiously gifted footballer, Platt bounced back from the disappointment of being rejected by Manchester United to become a star of Italy's Serie A as well as England captain.

Relying on an uncanny sense of timing and tireless running, Platt scored an incredible 27 goals in 62 appearances for his country.

This goal-scoring knack earned the former Crewe Alexandra midfielder big-money moves to Aston Villa, Bari, Juventus, Sampdoria and finally Arsenal.

It was during his time in Italy that Platt first came into contact with Eriksson.

Impressed by the Englishman's performances at Juventus - where Platt had reined in his attacking instincts to meet a more defensive brief - the Swede took Platt to Sampdoria for £5.2m in 1993.

While never regaining the heights of his Italia '90 heroics, Platt spent two years with the Genoese club and formed a relationship with Eriksson that would later bear considerable fruit.

At 35, Platt's managerial experience is limited

Having spent four seasons in Serie A, Platt's playing swansong came at Arsenal, and a career that started at Gresty Road in 1985 ended at Wembley in 1998 where the Gunners completed the Double with an FA Cup win over Everton.

Keen to break straight into top-flight management, Platt joined Glenn Hoddle's England regime and lent his experience to the Under-18 and Under-19 squads.

Like an 18th century aristocrat, he also embarked on a well-publicised 'grand tour' of Europe's top clubs to learn the manager's art.

One stop on this tour was at his former club Sampdoria, where - instead of quietly gaining experience on the training ground - he was controversially unveiled as the club's new manager. Not bad for a first gig.

Sadly, Platt was never accepted by his managerial counterparts in Italy as he lacked the correct coaching qualifications. His inability to inspire the side did not help either, and he was soon jettisoned.

Never one to hide or spurn a sitter as a player, Platt jumped at the chance to replace Ron Atkinson at relegated Nottingham Forest in July 1999.

With his vast experience of European and international football, it's a great sign for the future

Howard Wilkinson on David Platt

His first season at the City Ground brought a mediocre return of 14th place.

His second season, however, saw Forest flirt with the play-offs for most of the year before eventually falling short by six points.

Not exactly the stuff of future England managers, but Platt has made a career of good timing and getting the most out of his personal resources.

His friendship with Eriksson definitely helped his cause the Football Association - particularly as the Swede is under tacit pressure to groom English coaching talent.

The unavailability of the two more obvious great white hopes of English coaching, Peter Taylor and Steve McClaren, also helped.

But Platt's greatest qualification in the eyes of the FA is that, unlike Howard Wilkinson, his predecessor as Under-21 coach, he represents the 'future'. That great intangible that makes England's footballing guardians think the national side may one day repeat their 1966 heyday.

Platt's timing brought 27 international goals

Ironically, it is this last quality that Wilkinson, who endured a miserable tenure as Under-21 coach, himself has detected.

"I'm delighted for David as I introduced him to international coaching," the FA's technical director said.

"With his vast experience of European and international football, it's a great sign for the future."

Eriksson also wasted no time in endorsing Platt's promotion to the role of guardian of England's footballing future.

"David is the perfect man for the job," he said. "I'm looking forward to working closely with him."

And it is exactly that promise of close cooperation with the current saviour of English football, that marks out Platt as a future manager of the senior team.