For much of his young life, Shaun Wright-Phillips must have dreamt of becoming the symbol of a vibrant and inventive England side. Yesterday, on his first international start, he was indeed a symbol — a little boy lost playing a game he did not quite understand.

His debut lasted 67 minutes and his withdrawal provided a minor cameo of the confusion he left behind. His disappointment at being substituted was understandable enough, given that the opening quarter of the second half had been his most profitable spell yet in England colours as David Beckham at last began to man the supply line. But his bewilderment was not the issue. As his replacement Jermain Defoe ran on, he gestured to Wayne Rooney to fill Wright-Phillips’s role on the right. The body language spoke eloquently of Rooney’s disgust at the indignity. Here was a game to be won properly, a game that was starting to open up invitingly for the one forward on the field with a glint in his eye and now he was being asked to cut down Wales’s options on the right flank.

Wright-Phillips’s bemusement was equally explicable. His worth is officially documented as just over £21m, taking into account the Chelsea rate of inflation, and his first England start was greeted with rather less than a fanfare through no fault of his own. The week has been overshadowed by continuing debate over player power and tactical formations. The outburst by Ian Wright, his stepfather, against the passionless nature of the coach on the eve of the match was not best timed either. Had Sven-Göran Eriksson kept true to his beloved 4-4-2, Wright-Phillips would still be understudy to the England captain, which might yet be his role through the next year.

To be fair, he looked no more bemused than any of his more experienced England colleagues. Neither right-winger nor right midfielder, he wandered disconsolately in a self-made no man’s land in the first half, rueing, perhaps, the miss in the opening seconds that stood as a monument to England’s struggles for much of a strangely tepid match. Wales did not summon much of the passion demanded by a raucous following; England barely engaged third gear, apart from a brief flurry of chances early in the second half.

Released, not for the last time in the match, by a clever ball from Rooney in the opening seconds, Wright-Phillips was still trying to get his nerves under control, let alone the ball, which bobbled off his foot. In trying to rectify his failing, he miskicked the cross.

Not an auspicious start. But few of his teammates cared to come to his rescue. They were too busy trying to come to terms with the chaos in the middle of the park.

With Wright-Phillips pushing into the middle from one side and Joe Cole doing the same from the other wing, Wales had little difficulty in stemming England’s attacks or nullifying the threat of Rooney. The game cried out for width, for Wright-Phillips to do what so captivated the supporters of Manchester City and captured the heart of Jose Mourinho: to collect the ball on the touchline and run straight and true for goal. Instead, he was weighed down by responsibility, too busy worrying about what might happen behind him to concentrate on the fundamental task ahead.

So muted was Wright-Phillips’s contribution to the cause in the first half, you half-expected a return to normality at half-time. But Eriksson persevered with his experiment and reminded Beckham of Wright-Phillips’s existence on the right wing. Twice in the opening moments of the second half, the England captain flighted a ball 60 yards into the new man’s path.

Wright-Phillips could barely believe his good fortune. At last, he could turn and exploit the otherwise unruffled afternoon enjoyed by Sam Ricketts of Swansea City. For a moment, a glimpse of the real spirit of the boy lit up the stadium.

Driving in off the right wing, late and fast as instructed, he fired a wicked volley that Danny Coyne was forced to parry away for a corner. Soon after, given precious time and space by a beautifully flighted ball by Beckham, he was able to steady himself and pick out Joe Cole for a straightforward goal that England only barely deserved. At last, Wright- Phillips was starting to enjoy himself. Had Rooney managed to keep his athletic volley down, the winger would have had his second assist of the match and a real taste of international glory.

The moment passed. Once again, he was isolated, ignored by his colleagues and, as usual, prone to the caution which has so blighted their progress in the past. It was perhaps merciful release for Wright-Phillips when his number was held up by the fourth official.

Had Wales enjoyed a slice of fortune or Paul Robinson not pulled off a quite brilliant save from John Hartson’s header in the first half, the ignominy would have been much worse and the points shared. Wales probably deserved their share, for their labours more than any artistic merit.

You wonder what images Wright-Phillips will take with him from his first true introduction to international football. By Wednesday evening and Michael Owen’s return, he will most probably be back in his usual seat on the England bench, another of those players who does not quite manage to fulfil the expectations of the nation. If England really are the new Chelsea, then Mourinho has more problems than he thinks. One of them might be to bring the best out of the mercurial talent of Wright-Phillips. Eriksson has more pressing problems on his mind than the fitful debut of a potential new star.

Wright-Phillips, like England, will get better. Surely.

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