West Ham United: Jermaine Pennant takes aim at Kalvin Phillips in new rant live on talkSPORT
Jermaine Pennant has insisted Ross Barkley should take the place of Kalvin Phillips or Jordan Henderson in the next England squad, taking aim at the West Ham midfielder.
The former Liverpool man said he does not want to see either Phillips or Henderson called up, with Barkley outperforming them since signing for Luton in the summer.
Gareth Southgate is set to name his next England squad on 7 March ahead of upcoming friendly clashes against Belgium and Brazil in preparation for the European Championships this summer.
As shared by talkSPORT, Pennant ranted live on air: “I don’t want to see Henderson there, I don’t want to see Phillips. We know what they are. I’d rather see [Declan] Rice, Barkley and [Jude] Bellingham.
“It’s a friendly, if he [Barkley] comes on and produces the goods… they like that little defensive holding midfielder and I think he’s the best one out of what we’ve been seeing so far.
“He’s been amazing for Luton, better than Henderson, better than Phillips. Rice, Barkley, Bellingham.”
Could West Ham midfielder Kalvin Phillips lose his England place?
One of the main reasons for Phillips making the switch to West Ham in January was that Southgate had told him that if he wanted to keep his place in the England team, he would have to play regular football.
Now, though, that regular playing time has come littered with errors that may have dented his ambitions even further, with other options for his position, such as Barkley as Pennant has suggested, stepping up their performances.
It has previously been suggested that Phillips’ poor form will have provided the England boss with a selection headache ahead of the upcoming friendlies, as it looks less and less likely he will be called up to represent his country.
Phillips’ teammate Jarrod Bowen, meanwhile, has been heavily tipped to make the squad after his form this season, with both Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker gushing over the attacker after what he has done this season.
In other West Ham news, Garth Crooks raved about one Hammers star after what he did.
For more West Ham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.