West Ham United: Ferdinand can’t believe ‘crazy’ James Ward-Prowse situation
Anton Ferdinand can’t believe that West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse has been left out of the latest England squad.
Speaking on talkSPORT Breakfast on Thursday (12 October, 09:43am), the former Hammers centre-back said it is “crazy” that the 28-year-old hasn’t been recalled by Gareth Southgate for the games against Australia and Italy.
He added that there are midfielders in the squad who are “not even playing” and that he could have something to offer from set-pieces, an area where host Alan Brazil said the Irons midfielder is “fantastic”.
“James Ward-Prowse has come in and been fantastic,” said Ferdinand. “How he’s not in the England squad for me is crazy. You’ve got midfielders in there that are not even playing. This guy, especially from dead-ball situations, we play free-flowing football but we get a lot of set-plays.”
“He is fantastic at dead-balls,” responded Brazil.
Makes no sense
It makes absolutely no sense to not include Ward-Prowse in the England squad after the form he has been in at the start of this season since making the move to West Ham over the summer.
The midfielder has scored two goals and registered seven assists in nine matches for the Hammers, proving that he can have a huge impact on just about every game.
His delivery should put him in the side alone as there are very few people – if any – that can provide what he does from dead-ball situations.
He isn’t just a set-piece merchant, though, as he gets about the pitch well and can break up play to get his side moving forward – something that he has shown on a number of occasions already this season.
It will have been extremely disappointing for him to be overlooked for the upcoming games, but all he can do is continue playing well for us and hope that he eventually gets his chance to prove himself on the international stage again at some point.
In other West Ham news, a former Premier League referee has shared his verdict on a controversial incident against Newcastle United.