Oxlade-Chamberlain reflects on a ‘mad’ 12 months and says there is more to come

The amazing strides that have since seen the teenager sign for Arsenal and make his full debut for England were still some way off, as was the recognition that now means the son of former Sheffield Wednesday winger Mark Chamberlain is spotted wherever he goes.

So anonymous was the then Southampton youngster, in fact, that he was able to watch England’s 4-1 defeat to the Germans in a Portsmouth pub without any of the locals batting an eyelid – something that, considering the fierce rivalry that exists on the south coast, was quite a feat in itself.

Now, however, as Roy Hodgson’s Three Lions squad prepare to fly out to their Euro 2012 training base in Krakow, Oxlade-Chamberlain is well aware how a “mad” 12 months that have taken him from League One to a major finals has transformed his life and he says he could not be happier.

“I went home the other day to see my friends,” said the 18-year-old after making his first start in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Belgium at Wembley. “In Southsea, we drove past the pub where we watched the England v Germany game when Lampard scored the ‘goal’ which was disallowed.

“I was with my best friend and he said, ‘It is unbelievable how two years ago we were in there watching it and now, at the next tournament, you are with all the boys’. That put stuff into perspective. It has been an amazing journey and a bit of a whirlwind, to be honest. It is amazing how quickly it has gone.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain, whose debut for Southampton came as a 16-year-old in a 5-0 hammering of Huddersfield Town a little over two years ago, moved to Arsenal last summer in a £12m deal.

His Premier League debut followed in the Gunners’ 8-2 defeat at then champions Manchester United but the speedy winger quickly became a big favourite at the Emirates Stadium.

The teenager said: “I can’t believe how quickly things have happened. I remember playing in games for Southampton like Dagenham & Redbridge away, on a cold Tuesday.

“I am grateful for those experiences because you have to work in those environments and it makes you strive to want to play in places like Wembley for your country.

“It has been a mad 12 months. This time last year, I was on holiday in Portugal. There was a bit of hype about me going to Arsenal in the ‘papers and I got spotted a few times out there. It was probably the first time I was recognised.

“From then to this summer, everything has gone so fast. I even booked a holiday for Marbella, which was Friday. All my friends have gone out but I cancelled that one.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s Euro 2012 destinations of Donetsk and Kiev may not be quite on a par with the delights that Marbella has to offer. But, after making his debut from the bench against Norway on May 26 and then his first start on Saturday, the Portsmouth-born youngster cannot wait to fly out to Poland and Ukraine.

“I definitely feel I can make an impact at Euro 2012,” said the teenager, who joined Southampton at the age of seven and went on to make 43 appearances for the St Mary’s club.

“If you don’t think that, you won’t go far. You have to believe in yourself. If you don’t, no one else will.

“To get the call to join the England squad means you have to believe the manager has faith in your ability and I also believe in myself. It is one step at a time and I keep learning every day in training as I am with great players.

“But if I get a chance again, I will do everything I can to impress.”

As for making his full debut in the 1-0 win over Belgium and having a couple of efforts on goal in the early stages, Oxlade-Chamberlain added: “It is nice to get the first one out of the way.

“When I got the call-up, I was obviously delighted and very excited.

“Now I have played, I hope it is the first of many. It was nice to win as well. We played some good stuff at times against a good Belgium team.

“It was a really good experience and one in which I enjoyed every minute.

“When the manager said I was starting, it was a bit of a shock. But you have to remember I was one of the players put in the initial squad. So, I am here to play.

“A few of the lads – Stevie G, Scott Parker, the experienced boys – had a word with me. They said ‘go and enjoy it’. When someone says that, you do realise it is a game of football.

“I have been playing for a number of years, since I was seven, with a professional club and that means you are tuned to perform in moments like this. If you go out and relax, it comes to you.

“At first, it was daunting to see and train with my heroes from growing up. But you soon come around and realise they are human beings and here to do a job. If you don’t believe you should be there, you will struggle.

“They are all top lads, all friendly boys and we are all here to play football for our country. I have made some good friends already from table-tennis and the other stuff we have done.

“Joining a squad is part of football, as is playing. It is what I do every day. I train and I play. It is about stepping up on the biggest occasions, playing in games for your country; you have to take it in your stride and I think I did.

“You are always fighting for places in a team. You cannot think about it too much, just work hard every day and the rest is up to the manager.

“I have to be able to step up and perform when the manager wants me. I wanted to try to prove something and felt I showed glimpses of what I can do. But there is a lot more to come from me.”

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