Gareth Southgate has named Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere in his latest England squad for the upcoming friendlies, after the midfielder nailed down a regular place with Arsenal.
As per the today’s announcement, Southgate will give Wilshere the chance to stake his World Cup claim in the matches against the Netherlands and Italy on 23rd and 27th March respectively.
The manager always insisted he wasn’t selecting the 26-year-old because of a lack of game time. Now, the midfielder is playing every week in Arsenal’s biggest games, so that’s no longer a problem.
Here's our 2️⃣7️⃣-man squad for the #ThreeLions' games against the Netherlands and Italy.
Join us at @wembleystadium – tickets on sale now: https://t.co/hXIfok2kev pic.twitter.com/ZzqpepmfqA
— England (@England) March 15, 2018
Danny Welbeck also returns after missing the last couple of international breaks throuh injury.
The selection should go some way to appeasing Wilshere, who seemed unhappy after his previous snubs. The last time he played for England was at the Euros in 2016, in that infamous defeat to Iceland.
Over a year away from the team can’t have been much fun for someone who clearly enjoys his international duty.
Perhaps getting back in the team could also influence his contract situation. Wilshere hasn’t publicly explained why he won’t commit his future to Arsenal, so it could have something to do with him worrying that Southgate wouldn’t consider him for England.
We’ll see if that changes now that he’s back in the squad. Good luck to both players over the break.