West Ham United midfielder James Ward-Prowse has once again been left out of the latest Gareth Southgate England squad selected by Gareth Southgate.
James Ward-Prowse has been omitted from the England squad for our upcoming internationals against Malta and North Macedonia, in spite of his fine form for West Ham, but Gareth Southgate did pick Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips.
The Hammers midfielder was left out of Southgate’s last two England squads as well, and the 29-year-old’s teammate Michail Antonio absolutely let rip at the Three Lions boss for ignoring the former Southampton man.
David Moyes signed Ward-Prowse in the summer for £30 million (Sky Sports), and he has already bagged two goals and seven assists in just 15 games for West Ham (Transfermarkt).
However, he still hasn’t done enough to force his way back into the England squad, and the chance to add to his 11 international caps.
The fact that Southgate has included Phillips – someone who has played just 89 Premier League minutes for Man City this season (Transfermarkt) – is an utter joke.
Back in 2018, Southgate made it very clear that he will not be picking players for England who are not representing their clubs on a regular basis (Daily Mail).
However, the 53-year-old made a big U-turn on those comments back in March of this year when he suggested that it’s ‘impossible’ to only pick players who are playing consistently (Sky Sports).
And it’s clear to see that his comments five years ago were made because that’s what he thought people wanted to hear…
Ward-Prowse sends message to Gareth Southgate after England squad snub
The Hammers star was speaking to TNT Sports pundits Carlton Cole and Joe Cole after our 1-0 Europa League win over Olympiacos at the London Stadium last night.
He provided a superb assist for Lucas Paqueta at a crucial time of the game, and reminded everyone of his unbelievable quality yet again.
Ward-Prowse responded when asked by Carlton Cole whether he feels a recall to the England squad is close (Thursday November 9th, 10:10pm):
“I’m not thinking too much about that. I think there’s a couple of things you need to consider to get in the England squad. The first thing is that you have to be playing regularly, which I’vm ticking that box. And then it’s up to the manager to decide if I’m playing at the right level. I’m certainly my own worst critic at times, but I think I’ve been ticking both boxes and ultimately the call hasn’t come.”
I make Ward-Prowse spot on here. Despite the fact that he has struggled in a deeper role during our last couple of games, he has been superb for us on the whole this season.
And he’s certainly more deserving of a place in the England squad than Kalvin Phillips is! I get that the 27-year-old Man City man is the only real cover for Declan Rice, but if he’s not playing for his club, what use will he be for England when we have a really important game?
Ward-Prowse must feel like he will never get the England squad nod from Gareth Southgate. Just look at the numbers he has put up on a consistent basis this season – he can’t really do much more can he?
The most important thing as far as I’m concerned is that he continues to produce the goods for West Ham United football club – that’s all I care about, and the same can be said for David Moyes for that matter.
The good thing for the Hammers fans is that Ward-Prowse will now get a couple weeks of rest, rather than having to travel around the world representing his country.
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