Switzerland pin hopes on Derdiyok

With good strikers hardly growing on trees in Switzerland, the emergence of teenager Eren Derdiyok is exciting news for the UEFA EURO 2008™ co-hosts.

Worrying moment
The 19-year-old received his first senior call-up for Wednesday's friendly against England at Wembley – so could make his debut in the most auspicious of surroundings. "What a highlight," said the FC Basel 1893 forward, whose opportunity was almost lost when he twisted his neck painfully in training with Basel on Friday.

Old Boys
Happily, club doctors fixed the problem for a player who has risen swiftly through the Swiss football ranks. Back in October 2005, Derdiyok was turning out for amateur side BSC Old Boys in the fifth tier of the national pyramid. He had broken into the first team under former Basel favourite Massimo Ceccaroni after top-scoring for the Old Boys youth team in 2004/05. Fate then dealt him an exciting card.

Cup break
The 1.90m-tall striker – then 17 – scored Old Boys' consolation goal in a 6-1 Swiss Cup defeat by Basel in 2005/06, alerting Christian Gross's club to his abilities. Basel duly signed him at the end of that season, giving him the chance to impress in their reserves. Derdiyok did more than that: his goalscoring prowess earned him promotion to the senior squad last winter.

U21 success
Further encouraging displays brought Switzerland Under-21 recognition, and he is the leading marksman for Pierre-André Schümann's team in 2009 UEFA European U21 Championship qualifying, with seven goals from five games. Such prolific form, coupled with fine showings in the UEFA Cup and Swiss Super League for Basel, caught Jakob Kuhn's eye too.

Final decision
Frustrated at seeing former U21 international Ivan Rakitić choose to represent Croatia, Switzerland are thrilled with Derdiyok – who is of Turkish origin – and his decision to stick with his home country. "I grew up here and have played football here since I was a child, so why would I want to play for Turkey," he said.

Useful addition
Routinely used as a substitute by Basel – his 24 league appearances include only seven starts – Derdiyok will provide useful cover for Kuhn's injury-prone front pairing of Alexander Frei and Marco Streller. However, should he seize any opportunity that comes his way at Wembley, he could yet secure a starring role for the co-hosts' first finals match against the Czech Republic in Basel on 7 June. The same may be said of VfL Wolfsburg's Diego Benaglio, 24, who will keep goal for Kuhn on Wednesday. "This was a decision made with the future in mind," said the coach.