PICKING Jamie Vardy so soon after the Leicester striker was guilty of a racial slur should be a talking point when Roy Hodgson names his latest England squad this evening. But the expected recall of Jonjo Shelvey will not be without controversy either.
Hodgson is a long-term admirer of the Swansea player and was willing to overlook Shelvey being “reticent” to play for the under-21s when he called him up to the senior squad to face San Marino and Estonia last October.
He was an unused substitute against both opponents but is likely to get on the pitch this time. With Jack Wilshere out and Jordan Henderson a doubt because of injuries, there is an opportunity for Shelvey. Fabian Delph and Michael Carrick should be in the squad but Delph only returned from a hamstring problem yesterday, when he was on the bench for Manchester City, while Carrick, at 34, is having his playing time rationed at Manchester United.
Only James Milner, of Hodgson’s established midfield options, has been regularly playing and in form. Shelvey – almost three years after his sole cap, as a substitute versus San Marino – has the chance to back up the belief he should be a senior England player, the source of that reticence about continuing at junior level.
It manifested itself when Gareth Southgate spoke to him last year about taking part in the under-21s’ push to reach the European Championship. Shelvey maintains he never refused to play and the grey area between reticence and refusal appears to have saved his international career.
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Stuart Pearce, Southgate’s predecessor as under-21 manager, was highly critical of last year’s call-up and may not be rejoicing if Shelvey goes on to make an impact in Euro 2016 qualifiers versus San Marino and Switzerland. But many in Swansea will.
There, it is felt Shelvey has long deserved senior recognition and Garry Monk, Swansea’s manager, has vehemently pushed his claims. “Purely on performances in the Premier League, then Jonjo has to be right up there. If you are picking it on those terms, how could you leave Jonjo out?” said Monk.
Hodgson has long liked what Shelvey offers, giving him his Liverpool debut at 18 and an England cap at 20. On form, his case is watertight. He has created 13 chances in three games for Swansea, the most – before yesterday – of any Premier League player in 2015-16. His discipline is much improved since Monk called him out last December for collecting careless bookings. “He has to understand that the time for being lazy has gone,” Monk said then. Now he praises his player for knuckling down. Shelvey, himself, thinks he has matured. “I realised I’m not a little kid any more. I realised I’m 23, it’s time to start playing proper football,” he said yesterday.
Shelvey could vie with Ross Barkley for an attacking midfield role behind Wayne Rooney. Barkley, his form every bit as good as Shelvey’s and his potential greater, should get the nod with Shelvey introduced from the bench. Euro 2016 qualification will be assured if England win and Slovenia fail to beat Switzerland, away from home, the same day. However, data obtained by the Sunday Times illustrates the difficulties Hodgson faces.
Premier League clubs’ mania for foreign players has reached the point where just 30.8% of starting players in the competition’s first three rounds were eligible for England. The equivalent figure for German players in the Bundesliga is 50.5% and Spaniards in La Liga, 62.3%.
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With the last hours of the transfer window likely to involve yet more overseas imports, the case for adjusting homegrown quotas is becoming overwhelming. That is if the objective is to help the England team. The Premier League has other priorities, and perhaps it is time to be honest about that.