Wayne Rooney has criticised Gareth Southgate over his usage of one Liverpool player over the past week.
When the England manager trimmed his 33-player provisional squad for Euro 2024 to a final 26-man selection, Jarell Quansah was among the seven names to miss out on the plane to Germany.
However, the 21-year-old has been kept on standby for the tournament in case of further injuries to defenders, and he was among the substitutes for last Friday’s defeat to Iceland despite already knowing that he’d missed the cut for the Euros.
Speaking on The Overlap, Rooney noticed that the Liverpool youngster seemed detached from the rest of the squad and questioned Southgate’s decision to bring him to Wembley last week rather than allowing him to go on holiday and be ready for the call in case it comes.
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The ex-Manchester United striker said: “That’s why I think Gareth should’ve sent them all home [those who didn’t make the final squad].
“He kept Quansah there and I watched him after the game. I was on the side of the pitch doing the TV, and I watched every player walk around on the pitch after the game. As soon as the final whistle went, Quansah goes in, so straight away you’ve got a split.
“He’s seen nobody got injured. He was probably in having a shower and leaving, and I felt for him as he was the only one there.
“I think Gareth should’ve just said to him, ‘Go home, you’re gonna miss the game. If there’s an injury, be ready’, and give them that 24-48 hours. If anyone gets injured, be ready in case I call you; otherwise go on your holidays.”
It seemed a peculiar decision by Southgate to name Quansah among the subs for the Iceland game if he isn’t in the squad for Euro 2024 and he’d no plans on using the Liverpool defender, who seemingly didn’t feel as if he belonged to the group.
While the 21-year-old has been faced with disappointment over the past week, he’s clearly not far away from getting his first senior England cap. Having not even made his Reds debut until last August, that shows how exponenially he’s progressed in a relatively short period of time. His moment will come soon.
You can view Rooney’s comments below (from 12:39), via The Overlap on YouTube:
Typical Southgate incompetence.