Darren Bent questions why ‘unbelievable’ West Ham United star James Ward-Prowse was excluded from England squad
Darren Bent has questioned the decision made by Gareth Southgate to leave West Ham star James Ward-Prowse out of his most recent England squad.
The Hammers midfielder has been a stand-out performer at the London Stadium so far but continues to be left at home while players in worse form are consistently picked ahead of him.
Bent claimed Ward-Prowse has done all he could to impress his international boss, and blamed the manager’s tendency to stick with the same old players for his exclusion.
Speaking live on talkSPORT Drive [5 October, 16:10], Bent stated: “Ward-Prowse. What is going on? Ward-Prowse has been unbelievable this season for West Ham.
“His delivery into the box, his quality, his work-rate. I get it, I know Kalvin Phillips has never let Gareth [Southgate] down and all that, but you cannot tell me, if you go through this squad, and listen I’m going to put Jordan Henderson into this, Jordan, Kavlin Phillips, those two, you could even say Conor Gallagher, you can’t tell me they’ve played better than Ward-Prowse.
“Absolutely not. Again, it’s the whole Gareth Southgate thing about ‘he’s never let me down’, but if you’re Ward-Prowse it’s a difficult one because part of him probably wants to say to himself, you know what, what more have I got to do?
“In five games he’s had three assists and two goals. He has been brilliant, his work-rate, you know what you’re going to get from him, and the fact that Kavlin Phillips is in ahead of him, Ward-Prowse will be at home going ‘I know I can’t do any more’.”
Can’t do any more
As Bent said, there isn’t anything more Ward-Prowse can do to prove he’s an international-level footballer. He has slotted seamlessly into David Moyes’ setup at the London Stadium with consistently outstanding displays, but still can’t find a way in.
The tendency to rely on players who have previously proven themselves under his management is fine, but when there are players knocking on the door as loudly as Ward-Prowse has been, those calls should be simple swaps.
Ward-Prowse has many strings to his bow that would benefit England hugely, notably his set-piece ability, which he has proven already at West Ham can be the difference between winning and losing at the highest level.
Southgate’s continued insisting on leaving the Hammers star out of his squad will only be a dent to his own side, and likely a benefit to the East London club to allow one of their most influential players to get an extended rest.
In other West Ham news, a star player has reacted to the latest Premier League controversy.