Former Newcastle star Chris Waddle has said that Jonjo Shelvey is the answer to England’s problems.
England qualified for the World Cup finals in Russia next summer with a 1-0 victory over Slovenia, but it was a laboured, sluggish performance that saw most of the fans leave Wembley before Harry Kane scored his late, late goal.
Waddle, talking on BBC Radio 5 Live‘s coverage of the game, said that Newcastle’s Shelvey was the answer to England’s creative problems with his pinpoint passing.
“People knock me down when I say it, but Jonjo Shelvey is the best I’ve seen at passing the ball at distance,” Waddle said.
“He won’t get in the England squad though, for reasons we don’t know.
“Performances are not good enough to do well next summer in Russia – there’s a lot of work to be done.
“We definitely need to find a quality midfield player who has got a range of passing which can help this side.”
OPINION
Shelvey was in fantastic form for Newcastle last season, helping them to the Championship title. This should have been his time to shine, back in the Premier League where he deserves to be. However, he stupidly got himself sent off in the first game of the season against Tottenham, and has struggled to get back in the side since. That doesn’t stop Southgate from picking other stars, such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but Shelvey hasn’t played for England since November 2015 in the 2-0 win against France. The 25-year-old has six caps in total and should be given a chance. It’s obvious that England need something different and we’ve now got time to experiment before the finals in Russia. Let’s face it, what have we got to lose?