Jonjo Shelvey was instrumental in Newcastle’s win over Manchester United, but that does not mean he is ready for international football again.
With the World Cup on the horizon, every English player who has one good game is being touted as a potential member of Gareth Southgate’s squad, and that is exactly what happened with Shelvey after the Manchester United game.
The 25-year-old potentially had his best game in a Newcastle shirt against the Red Devils, putting in the defensive display of his life; a side of the game that has been missing from Shelvey’s arsenal.
The Newcastle number eight covered every blade of grass and set the tempo, dominating the midfield battle alongside Mo Diame, eclipsing one of the best partnerships in the division in Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic.
Amongst his industrious display, we still saw Shelvey’s range of passing, who constantly looked to get the ball forward, almost proving an assist for an offside Ayoze Perez before delivering the free kick that led to Matt Ritchie’s match-winning goal.
Once the full time whistle sounded and Shelvey was awarded the man of the match award, the debate started again: Should Shelvey go to the World Cup? Well, at this moment in time, no.
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One performance does not make you an international player, and Newcastle fans have seen too much of the bad side of Shelvey this season, rather than the good.
Sunday’s performance was Shelvey at his best, and if he can maintain that level from now until the end of the season, then he has to be in with a shout of going to Russia.
However, one amazing performance is not enough to allow Shelvey to add to his six England caps so far.
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