Paul Merson has criticized Gareth Southgate’s selection of the England squad, citing West Ham star James Ward-Prowse and Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold as examples of why Southgate has made the wrong choice
The England squad for the upcoming matches against Scotland and Ukraine was recently announced by Gareth Southgate.
West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse was excluded from Southgate’s crew, while Liverpool right-back turned midfielder Trent Alexander-Arnold got a call-up.
It’s understandable that the Hammers star feels extremely betrayed. He has been in amazing structure since David Moyes carried him to the London Arena from Southampton in the mid year move window.
In addition, Southgate is receiving a lot of criticism for his decision not to include JWP in his most recent squad. Gareth Southgate is being slammed by Paul Merson for selecting the England squad. Merson has written a column for Sky Sports about the Three Lions squad that Southgate, his former international teammate, selected.
Additionally, Merse emphasized Ward-Prowse’s right to be disappointed following Southgate’s omission:
Paul Merson has totally nailed it here, all things considered.
Look, I’m not in the least bit biased here. I am not arguing that James Ward-Prowse is a world-class player who should have been selected ahead of any England player specifically.
Nonetheless, the way that any semblance of Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson have been incorporated is an absolute joke.
James Ward-Prowse is certain to be just as deserving of a spot in the England squad as the Liverpool player is, and as Paul Merson stated, Trent Alexander-Arnold has not yet been tested against top-class opposition in midfield.
I am not suggesting that the West Ham midfielder should have been selected over Alexander-Arnold for the team. On his day, Trent is a world-class player, but he actually plays better in the middle of the park than at right back.
Most Liverpool fans will be perplexed by Merson’s case about the 24-year-old. After all, since Jurgen Klopp moved him into the “inverted right-back” position toward the end of last season, he has performed exceptionally well in the midfield.
If I were Ward-Prowse, I would retire from international football; there is no point in him making himself available for selection any longer. I just think that there was room for both players in the squad.
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