Michail Antonio has absolutely savaged England manager Gareth Southgate for his latest England squad selection.
England manager Gareth Southgate included one West Ham player in his latest squad – Jarrod Bowen – but he ignored another – James Ward-Prowse, and Michail Antonio has shared his dismay at the 28-year-old being ignored.
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Ward-Prowse has been in stunning form for the Hammers this season with six assists and two goals to his name in just nine games so far.
David Moyes will be absolutely delighted with the impact that the midfielder has had on his side since moving to the London Stadium from Southampton for £30 million in the summer (Sky Sports).
His stats since moving to West Ham have been mightily impressive. The best compliment that the Hammers ace could be given is the fact that we have improved as a team after his arrival and Declan Rice’s exit!
So the fact that Gareth Southgate ignored him when naming his latest England squad really was utterly baffling.
What made the decision even worse was the fact that he included Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips in his squad. One player moved out to Saudi Arabia and has been on the decline for some time now, whilst the other has played just 70 Premier League minutes for Manchester City this season.
Gareth Southgate has received plenty of criticism from the media, pundits and fans alike. And now, one of West Ham’s players has weighed in on the Three Lions boss as well…
Gareth Southgate is absolutely slaughtered by West Ham star after ’embarrassing’ England decision
Michail Antonio was speaking on the Footballer’s Football Podcast this week about Southgate’s latest England squad selection.
And he absolutely let the Three Lions boss have it because of his refusal to select Ward-Prowse:
“He’s [Southgate] taking the mick. Ward-Prowse, how on earth is he not getting a call-up? It’s embarrassing, like the stats that he has, everything that he’s doing, been playing week in, week out for years. He [Southgate] keeps on bringing people that are not even playing, it’s mad. I respect the players that are going there are quality but if you’re not playing, you shouldn’t be going to international football.”
Antonio is absolutely spot on here.
Gareth Southgate’s refusal to select the former Southampton midfielder once again showcased exactly what’s wrong with the current England selection process.
The 53-year-old promised us when he took over as manager that he would pick players based on form rather than reputation. That has turned out to be complete rubbish though.
Gareth Southgate clearly has his favourites in the England setup and what really frustrates me is that he never seems to be held accountable for that when he is interviewed.
So with that in mind, it was great to hear Michail Antonio call him out. And hopefully next month, James Ward-Prowse will be impossible to ignore.
Gareth Southgate is not the man who should be in charge of taking this golden generation of England players into another major tournament as far as I’m concerned. The FA obviously love him though. Why wouldn’t they? He’s a yes man, and that seems to be all that matters nowadays.
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