Jack Wilshere has posted on Twitter his reaction to Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave him out of the England squad to travel to the World Cup this summer.
After initially joking that he’d go on holiday to Zante with a fan on Twitter, Wilshere eventually posted his genuine response to the news on Thursday. He admitted he was ‘incredibly disappointed’, as he’s feeling ‘fit, sharp and strong’. He felt he could’ve made a real impact if given the chance, but would support the team now nonetheless.
Think its about time I had my say…
It goes without saying that I’m naturally incredibly disappointed to have been left out of the England squad for the World Cup. I’ve felt fit, sharp and strong all season and believe I should be in the squad!— Jack Wilshere (@JackWilshere) May 17, 2018
https://twitter.com/JackWilshere/status/997204976559710208
Unfortunately, he’s not the only Arsenal player with tonnes of international experience to miss out on the tournament. Shkodran Mustafi was a starter at the Confederations Cup last summer for Germany, but they can’t find a place for him in their squad this time around.
Meanwhile, Alexandre Lacazette also only made the stand-by list for France. Instead they chose to take three players who have played on the right-wing this season (Dembele, Mbappe and Thauvin) and just two central strikers (Griezmann and Giroud).
The Spain squad has also reportedly leaked to the media, and doesn’t contain Nacho Monreal or Hector Bellerin. We’ll know for sure on Monday.
All this is bad news for morale, but hopefully good news for fitness at least. The new Arsenal manager should get a full pre-season with most of the squad, so that’s encouraging. Commiserations to all the Arsenal players who didn’t make it all the same.