St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, Britain - November 6, 2022. Southampton's James Ward-Prowse applauds fans.
The Athletic’s Southampton correspondent Jacob Tanswell has said he is ‘absolutely gutted’ that James Ward-Prowse won’t be going to the World Cup.
The Lowdown: England squad announced
On Thursday afternoon, Gareth Southgate named his official 26-man squad to travel to Qatar later this month, and it may have come as a surprise that the Saints midfielder’s name wasn’t on the list.
The Three Lions manager had instead replaced the 28-year-old with Conor Gallagher from Premier League rivals Chelsea, despite the Blues youngster only starting six top-flight games this season.
The Latest: Tanswell’s reaction
Taking to Twitter, Tanswell expressed his disappointment at Ward-Prowse’s omission and claimed that, whilst the Southampton captain might not have played regularly at the tournament, he more than deserved a place on the plane.
He tweeted: “Absolutely gutted for James Ward-Prowse. Should have made at least one of the last two major tournaments. Neither he nor Conor Gallagher would have probably played much. But who could make the difference in Southgate’s inevitable, attritional, tight games?”
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The Verdict: Wrong decision
Whilst Gallagher is an exciting young prospect who excelled on loan at Crystal Palace last season, selecting him and deciding to omit Ward-Prowse was completely the wrong decision by Southgate.
The Saints star already has 11 international caps to his name, making him the more experienced option in the middle, while he also scored two goals in three games during the World Cup qualification stage.
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With Ward-Prowse also a natural set-piece and penalty taker, Southgate has missed out on including a useful option in his squad, and he will no doubt hope it doesn’t come back to bite him in the weeks ahead.
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