Phil Thompson believes that in-form Newcastle United midfielder must be considered for a recall to the England squad, but insists that he still needs to improve defensively.
The 26-year-old has not been involved with the national team since 2015 and England manager Gareth Southgate is currently assessing his options.
There have been suggestions that Shelvey should be back in the England fold given his recent form in the Premier League.
Shelvey has been integral recently as the Magpies have climbed five points away from the relegation places and he supplied two assists at the weekend in the win over Southampton.
The central midfielder is renowned for his brilliant range of passing and has formed a good understand alongside teammate Mohamed Diame.
Sky Sports pundit Thompson feels that Shelvey is a good consideration for England and urged him to get better defensively.
“I also think Jonjo Shelvey should be considered [for England’s World Cup squad],” Thompson told Sky Sports.
“He does something that most of our other midfield options don’t in always looking to play the ball forward, but he’s got to prove he can handle the defensive side as well.
OPINION
Shelvey definitely has raised his game in the past couple of months and is proving what a good player he can be. There is a strong case to suggest that England could do with him in their squad at the World Cup and there appears to be a distinct lack of quality options for the centre of the park. Shelvey is a top player in the Premier League when he controls his discipline and is allowed to impact the game on the ball. Thompson’s assessment that the Newcastle ace must do more defensively is fair, but he showed against Manchester United recently that he does have it in his locker.