Ferdinand rages at ‘demoralising’ situation for West Ham United star James Ward-Prowse
Anton Ferdinand has fumed at the latest call to leave West Ham star James Ward-Prowse out of the England squad, claiming it will be demoralising for the midfielder.
The former Hammers man claimed Gareth Southgate is wrong in his assessment of what Ward-Prowse can offer to the team as he can lend his ability both in defence and attack.
He went on to suggest Southgate may regret these decisions if he wants to call on the midfielder for his Euro 2024 squad in the summer, as the lack of recognition could prove demoralising.
Ferdinand was speaking live on talkSPORT [15 November] when he shared: “I think he [Southgate] has openly said that he doesn’t feel that James Ward-Prowse can play the pivot, the deeper role like what Kalvin Phillips does.
“But if you go and watch James Ward-Prowse, and I might have thought the same thing watching him at Southampton, but I was actually really surprised about how well he gets around the park. He does the defensive stuff but also pops up with assists and goals.
“Can he play that role? Of course, he can. Let’s have it right if he was playing for Man City or one of them, he’s in that squad. I think this is the problem.
“What do you do if you’re James Ward-Prowse? It’s demoralising. If you’re the England manager, you don’t want to do that to players who, potentially, you’re going to have to call on when it comes to the summer. You don’t do that to those players.”
Southgate doesn’t rate him
Whether we like it or not, and whether it will prove to be the right or wrong decision in the long run, it has become clear based on his squad selections so far this season that Southgate doesn’t rate Ward-Prowse.
The boss feels the likes of Kalvin Phillips and Jordan Henderson offer more to his squad both on and off the pitch, which is why they have continually been selected in his place despite the relative form and playtime of all three players, where JWP stands out.
Two goals and nine assists in his first 16 West Ham appearances in all competitions should prove enough for any player to earn a call-up, and as Ferdinand says, if he played for a team like Manchester City or Arsenal then Ward-Prowse likely would have been given that call.
It is a shame for the player who will no doubt feel let down despite doing all he can to earn his place, but he will simply have to crack on with his form at the London Stadium to prove his international boss wrong.
In other West Ham news, a journalist has claimed one player could go beyond any other Hammers star.