England manager Gareth Southgate believes the players he has selected for his World Cup squad are “better” than Jonjo Shelvey - and that is why he has omitted the Newcastle United midfielder.
“We’ve watched hundreds of games this season, live and back at home, and even more downloaded in our coaching room,” Southgate said of Shelvey’s exclusion during a Press conference on Thursday.
“We know all the English players in the league. We think the players we have picked are better than those we haven’t. We assess somebody on how they fit into how we want to play.”
Expanding on why Shelvey will not travel to Russia, Southgate implied discipline was not a factor - but suggested he feared the midfielder’s “character” could harm the harmony within his squad.
“In terms of temperament, I’ve seen the likes of [Steven] Gerrard, [Patrick] Vieira, [Roy] Keane - they pick up a lot of bookings, so that wouldn’t be the primary factor in our selection,” Southgate added of Shelvey.
“They have to fit into our system and know if their style of play and attributes fit with our. And, we have to ask, do their character and personality fit into our group?”
Southgate 解釋唔揀 Shelvey 的原因唔係因為紀律問題，而係因為佢揀既球員 (包括 standby list) 全部都好過 Shelvey…… Good Luck...
