Jack Wilshere has questioned Gareth Southgate’s decision to show faith in Harry Maguire and include the Manchester United skipper in his World Cup squad.
The former Leicester City star has been a mainstay under Southgate and played a key role in the Three Lions’ run to the final of Euro 2020.
Magurie’s form has dipped markedly over the last 12 months, however, to the extent whereby he has started only one Premier League game since August having been usurped by summer recruit Lisandro Martinez.
Despite his inactivity, Maguire was named in Southgate’s 26-man squad for Qatar on Thursday and is expected to start in England’s first game against Iran next week.
Wilshere fears the 29-year-old’s rustiness is likely to be exposed and would rather have seen Fikayo Tomori, who has excelled for AC Milan since leaving Chelsea, chosen instead.
He told talkSPORT: ‘It’s tough because I can see a club manager having favourites, but I think it’s hard doing that internationally.
‘Firstly, you don’t see them a lot. I was listening to the show when I was driving in and it was Adrian Durham saying that when he’s played for England he hasn’t put a foot wrong and he’s right, but I don’t think that’s enough to get you in the starting XI.
‘He will play. Harry will play, that’s almost 100 per cent because of the way that Gareth sees him.
‘It’s difficult to have favourites at international level. He’s obviously not playing at Manchester United for a reason, the manager has come in and he’s seen that he’s not good enough to play in that team, but he’s good enough to play in England’s team, so it’s difficult finding that balance.
‘I’m not sure if I’d play him or not. If he does play, he’d have to play in a back three, but there’s other centre-backs ahead of him, especially Tomori who isn’t even on the plane. He’s definitely ahead of him.’
Tomori’s absence was also questioned by Wislhere’s former England teammate Rio Ferdinand, who told FIVE: “The biggest thing I’d like to know is what was said to him. Why was he not taken and what were the reasons for it?
‘I think that’s important because I remember when I was told I wasn’t going by Kevin Keegan [at Euro 2000] and it was ‘if you were Brazilian, Italian or German you’d have been playing with about 20 caps by now’.
‘I was sitting there confused thinking that we’re way behind those teams, but what I would say to those players who are disappointed at this moment is that this is the time where you put the manager’s face on the wall, every wall in your house, and you use that as fuel. That’s what I think.
‘That catapulted me to being more professional, more driven. I used it as fuel. I don’t think that you can let that derail off your journey of becoming a top player.’
MORE : Manchester United youngster Facundo Pellestri surprisingly named in Uruguay’s World Cup squad
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