questions for talkSPORT pundits Gareth Southgate for not bringing in the star of West Ham United Ward-Prowse, James

The newest opponent of England manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to not call up West Ham player James Ward-Prowse is talkSPORT analyst Darren Ambrose.

The 28-year-old, who has 11 senior England caps, was left off of the 26-man team that traveled to Scotland on Tuesday (12 September) and to Ukraine last week for a friendly and the Euro 2024 qualification match.

As an alternative, Southgate called up players like Kalvin Phillips, Jordan Henderson, and Conor Gallagher, but Ambrose thinks set-piece expert Ward-Prowse offers more than any of those alternatives.

“James Ward-Prowse is more than a set-piece taker,” he said on talkSPORT [10 September]. The fact that it’s a highlight reel magnifies his set pieces.

He takes a corner, a free kick, scores, and assists on Match of the Day, which you can see. He has always been that player when I have watched him play an entire game.

“In no way am I even remotely equating him to [Luka] Modric, but he is that player who can take the ball away from the back four, turn, and attempt to play it forward.

Get Football Insider TV immediately by subscribing.

Subscribe

“Ward-Prowse deserves to be in there in front of Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, and Conor Gallagher,” said Ward-Prowse of his exclusion from the squad.

defending his fee

The dismal stalemate between England and Ukraine on Saturday, September 9 has only made Southgate’s decision to not activate Ward-Prowse seem more bizarre.

He is a great choice to use off the bench, even if he is only in the lineup for set-pieces (Ambrose points out that there is much more to his game than that).

Instead, Henderson, who is now playing in a league of lower caliber than the Championship, was given the starting nod by Southgate, whereas Phillips has hardly played a minute in his 14 months with Manchester City. Gallagher’s career at Chelsea appears to be seriously stagnating.

The opposite is true with Ward-Prowse, who gained the attention of scouts while playing for a struggling Southampton team and has since advanced in his career thanks to his summer transfer to West Ham.

He cost the Hammers £30 million, which raised some eyebrows, but he has already contributed to three goals and scored another in his first three Premier League games with the team, more than making up for that cost.

You get the feeling that Southgate won’t make the same error when he names his next squad because the next international break is only one month away.

Regarding David Moyes’ future at the London Stadium, the Hammers seem to have made their position clear, according to recent West Ham stories.