Midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain completed his move to Liverpool on deadline day, but according to the programme for England vs Slovakia he never left the Gunners.
Simon Peach, chief football writer at the Press Association, picked up the error in the programme ahead of the game, where Oxlade-Chamberlain was listed as an Arsenal player.
Guessing the England programme was printed before deadline day pic.twitter.com/l5COMAEZbD
— Simon Peach (@SimonPeach) September 4, 2017
Of course, it’s no surprise that the programmes are prepared ahead of time, although it’s perhaps a little odd that they’re printed more than four days in advance of the match despite another England qualifier taking place after deadline day.
It would certainly make for odd reading if England had got battered by Malta and the pre-match programmes failed to make any mention of the result. Nonetheless, the players on the pitch managed to do their job and finish off Slovakia 2-1 on the night.
However, Oxlade-Chamberlain put in a disappointing performance for the Three Lions at Wembley, wasting almost every chance that fell his way and earning the lowest rating of the night from the BBC.
Arsenal fans wouldn’t have expected much more from a player who looked like he wasn’t even trying in his final matches for the club. It’s debatable whether the Ox has shown he is an ‘effective’ player for club and country, as the programme states, but at least right now he’s remaining consistent.