SOUTH Africa mania is already sweeping through football as the ‘World Cup 2010’ draws ever nearer.

For Matt Jansen though, football’s blue-ribband event has for a long time only brought feelings of regret, anger and disappointment.

With the line-up for next summer’s tournament finalised on Wednesday night, former Blackburn Rovers striker Jansen admits his long-held international pain has dulled – but the ‘what ifs’ will never be far away.

When a 24-year-old Jansen was handed a late England call-up in 2002 for a friendly against Paraguay, after a sensational few months at Ewood Park, the world seemed to be at the one-time Manchester United target’s feet.

Inclusion in Sven Goran Eriksson’s World Cup squad for South Korea and Japan was inevitable and, from there, Jansen’s career was being tipped for bigger and even better things.

Talk about an untimely bout of gastroenteritis. The striker’s stomach illness saw him forced to pull out of England’s squad, the last chance to stake a claim for the World Cup, but even he could not know how big a turning point that moment would prove to be.

For a glorious few hours his dreams were reignited when Eriksson informed him he would be in his World Cup squad anyway but, after a late long conversation with Tord Grip, the Swede changed his mind leaving Jansen devastated at his shock omission.

If that was bad though, what was to follow was tragic.

As David Beckham and co were starting their finals campaign, Jansen came off a scooter during a impromptu holiday in Rome leaving him in a coma for six days.

A helmet saved his life but was unable to save his career as, despite numerous attempted comebacks, one of the game’s brightest young prospects was forced to retire for good, aged just 31, with his dreams left unrealised.

Jansen is now showing signs of promise in the world of coaching, as player/coach of Unibond League Leigh Genesis, with a new mentality to ensure the summer’s extravaganza doesn’t see those black clouds returning.

Jansen said: “You can’t help but think about what if can you? It has haunted me for a long time although I have learned to cope with it now.

“I could spend all my life thinking about how things would have been different if I hadn’t got that illness, if I had been included in the World Cup squad and if I hadn’t been in Rome that weekend.

“That was what I thought about for a long time whenever the World Cup was mentioned.

"Those feelings will always be there but you can either let it ruin you or you can put it behind you and move on with your life.

“I was told I was in the World Cup and to have that pulled away from you does hurt.

"I let feelings like that bother me for too long, but now I realise there is no point.”

As Rovers prepare for Sunday’s trip to another of Jansen’s former clubs, Bolton Wanderers, the former Carlisle youngster believes one of his old pals could follow in his own footsteps - but with a happier ending.

Jansen sees striking similarities between David Dunn’s recent revival at Ewood Park and his own late push for a World Cup spot almost eight years ago.

While Dunn’s career may be at a different stage to his, Jansen insists the Great Harwood born midfielder still has time to add to his sole England cap.

He said: “David has a great chance. If it wasn’t for his terrible luck with injuries, I am sure he would already have plenty of England caps to his name. He is that good.

“You don’t really think about it when you are playing.

"I remember when all the fans were singing ‘Jansen for England’, I just thought it was a song.

"I never thought about the reality until it actually happened.

“I am sure Dunny is the same. His priority will be getting a very important win at Bolton, but if he keeps playing like he is at the moment, he could be the late call-up into Capello’s squad.

"I think he will pick players on merit come the time.

“Playing just behind a striker is really suiting him and if he keeps thriving for Blackburn then I am sure England will come calling.

"For the moment though, no one will be thinking about South African. They can’t, they have to focus on their club.”