Nine goal involvements already this season would normally guarantee you a place in the England squad, unless your name is James Ward-Prowse.
Bouncing back from a heartbreaking relegation with his boyhood club Southampton last season, he only lasted one Championship game before making the jump to UECL winners West Ham.
Ward-Prowse has made an instant impact, helping the Hammers to seventh in the Premier League after seven games.
Embed from Getty ImagesGareth Southgate took note of this initially and called him up to the squad during the first international break, but for seemingly no reason, Ward-Prowse has been ignored this time around.
He has arguably been the most in-form English midfielder behind Jude Bellingham, yet can’t get a look in over Jordan Henderson, who is playing in Saudi Arabia, and Kalvin Phillips, who has played only 760 minutes of football for Manchester City since joining last season, which is roughly eight-and-a-half matches.
Many fans are already questioning why Henderson deserves to be in the squad given he has made the move to the Saudi Pro League, which can’t touch the Premier League in terms of quality.
Phillips has been under the same scrutiny, given he plays as many times per season for England as he does for Man City.
Especially as Southgate has stated on multiple occasions that form matters, how can he be so blind to miss one of his most-inform players?
Ward-Prowse isn’t the only player to unfairly miss out, as Nick Pope, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Anthony Gordon and Ben White were all snubbed despite starting the season brilliantly.
Newcastle United duo Pope and Gordon have just come off the back of smashing PSG 4-1 in the Champions League, not long after battering Sheffield United 8-0, but that wasn’t enough to impress Southgate.
Embed from Getty ImagesLoftus-Cheek looks to be suffering from the same bias as Fikayo Tomori has been ever since he made the jump to AC Milan, who are currently second in Serie A, but even though the central midfielder has been a key part in that, Southgate seems scared to move away from players he has used before.
As for White, it is rather mind-blowing that he still hasn’t been selected despite being one of the most crucial parts of Arsenal’s squad and should be one of the first names in the England squad.
To accuse Southgate of being bias is an understatement, as it is blatantly clear he has his favourites despite how much he likes to claim he bases his decisions on form.
If that were the case, how do players like Harry Maguire, who don’t start at club level, continue to make the squad?
Of course, if Southgate goes on to win the next international tournament, we will all be eating our words, but if he continues with this pattern of preference over performance, it seems we will be letdown once more.
Time will tell whether Ward-Prowse can sway Southgate’s decisions in his favour, but for now he must wonder, what more can he do?
