Gareth Southgate has named his England squad for the upcoming friendlies, but has ignored the inform Newcastle United defender Jamaal Lascelles.
While uncapped defenders Alfie Mawson and James Tarkowski got the call from Southgate, Newcastle’s captain was not part of the 27-man squad that was named on Thursday afternoon.
The biggest question has to be, how?
How on earth has Lascelles, Newcastle’s best player this season and arguably the most inform English centre back in the country right now, missed out on the England squad?
Burnley’s Tarkowski certainly deserves his chance, having been a titan at the back for Sean Dyche’s side as they compete in the top half of the Premier League, but there is simply no way that Mawson can be considered better than Newcastle’s number six.
Swansea City have been abysmal at times this season, and would be all but relegated had Carlos Carvalhal not turned the Swans’ fortunes around, with Mawson always having a mistake in him at the back, despite performing well at times.
In comparison, Lascelles has been consistent at the heart of the Magpies defence, showing real leadership despite his tender age; a level of leadership that has been missing from the Three Lions set up in recent years.
Many called for Jonjo Shelvey to be included in Southgate’s squad, but that always seemed unlikely due to the midfielder’s inconsistent nature and discipline issues. Then again, when you consider Jake Livermore is in the squad…
While Shelvey’s exclusion is no real surprise, the lack of Lascelles just proves that good performances will not get you in the England squad, as the likes of Joe Hart and Livermore brace themselves for international duty.
Disgraceful.