Replacing Cole ‘mission impossible’

Leighton Baines admits his England place will almost certainly go back to Ashley Cole after the next two qualifiers even if he plays out of his skin against Moldova and Ukraine. With Cole ruled out of England’s opening World Cup qualifier in Moldova on Friday and also unlikely to feature against Ukraine on Tuesday, Everton left-back Baines has his first opportunity to start a competitive international. It has been a long time coming for the 27-year-old, who has spent his entire England career in the shadow of Cole, and he would love to believe this is an opportunity to displace the Chelsea star on a permanent basis. But Baines is well aware that Cole has a potent combination of tenacity and athleticism that makes him one of the best left-backs in the world. Realistically, Baines knows England boss Roy Hodgson will restore Cole to the team however well Baines does in these next two matches. “For me you have to believe it is possible (to keep the place) but realistically maybe not,” Baines said. “If I can get the chance to play hopefully I can do well enough for that to be possible, but it’s difficult because of what Ash brings to the table and it’s only a couple of games. “You can’t get too frustrated about that because he is such a good player and you have respect for what he is doing. You just have to bide your time. “My mentality is do as well as I can with Everton. That has been good enough to get to this level where I have been the second choice left-back for a while, but it hasn’t been good enough to get to the next level. “Obviouly there are certain things that play a part. Playing in the Champions League carries some weight along with the fact that Ash is such a good player.” In recent years, several England stars on the fringes of the squad have opted to retire from international football rather than act as understudies. But Baines, who went to Euro 2012 as Cole’s back-up, still enjoys the experience of being involved with England even if he knows his playing time will be limited. “It’s been a while in and around the squad, picking up caps here and there. It’s been a bit of a slow burner,” he said. “I guess it could be frustrating, but you have the release of playing for your club every week and also you have to respect that the guy in front of you is a good player. “I think if I had been doing it for eight years it would be harder. If you still only have eight caps after that long I guess maybe the frustration builds. “But it’s only three years for me and you are still keen to get involved. And along the way you pick up a few caps that keep you going.” Baines concedes that to have a good chance of replacing Cole he needs to be playing in the Champions League. He was linked with a move to Manchester United in the close-season and, with Everton’s chances of finishing in the top four looking remote, Baines could have been forgiving for demanding a transfer.