talkSPORT pundit questions Gareth Southgate for not calling up West Ham United ace James Ward-Prowse
talkSPORT pundit Darren Ambrose has become the latest to criticise England manager Gareth Southgate for not calling up West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse.
The 28-year-old, who has been capped 11 times by England at senior level, was not included as part of England’s 26-man group for last week’s Euro 2024 qualifying draw with Ukraine and the friendly with Scotland on Tuesday [12 September].
Southgate instead called up the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Jordan Henderson and Conor Gallagher, but Ambrose believes set-piece specialist Ward-Prowse offers more than each of those options.
“James Ward-Prowse is more than a set-piece taker,” he told talkSPORT [10 September]. “His set-pieces are amplified because it’s a highlight reel.
“You watch Match of the Day and you’ll see him take a corner, a free-kick, score, assist. Every time I’ve watched him in terms of a full game, he’s that player.
“No way on earth am I comparing him to [Luka] Modric, but he’s that player that can take the ball off the back four, turn and look to play it forward.
“To not even be in the squad, and I’m not bashing Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips or Conor Gallagher, [Ward-Prowse] deserves to be in there in front of those three.”
Justifying his fee
England’s disappointing draw with Ukraine on Saturday [9 September] has only made Southgate’s decision not to call up Ward-Prowse all the stranger.
Even if he is only in the side for set-pieces alone – and as Ambrose says, there is far more to his game than that – then he is an ideal option to turn to from the substitutes’ bench.
Instead, Southgate started Henderson, who is now plying his trade in a league that is of lower quality than the Championship, while Phillips has barely kicked a ball in his 14 months at Manchester City. As for Gallagher, well it seems his career is badly stagnating at Chelsea.
The opposite is true when it comes to Ward-Prowse, who caught the eye in a poor Southampton side and has now taken a step up in his career with his summer move to West Ham.
Eyebrows were raised when the Hammers paid £30million for his signature, but he is well on the way to justifying that fee as he has assisted three goals and scored another in his first three Premier League games for the club.
With the next international break just a month away, you get the impression that Southgate will not make the same mistake when he announces his next squad.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers appear to have made their stance clear regarding David Moyes’ future at the London Stadium.