If there’s one player that’s been key to his team’s successes this year it’s James Ward-Prowse at West Ham United.
Though he didn’t join the Hammers until after the 2023/24 Premier League campaign had already begun, he’s been instrumental for David Moyes ever since.
According to WhoScored, the attacking midfielder has been directly involved in eight goals in his eight appearances for the club so far.
It’s no wonder then that before Gareth Southgate announced his England squad for the October internationals, there was a strong belief that he would pick Ward-Prowse.
However, and for reasons known only to the England manager, he didn’t select the 28-year-old, but did select one or two players that were out injured at the time of the announcement.
It doesn’t look great for Southgate when it’s blindingly obvious what Ward-Prowse could bring to the squad, but the player himself isn’t going to let the snub worry him.
“Yeah, huge disappointment,” he told TNT Sports (h/t Goal).
“Like I said many times in interviews, you can only control what you can control as a player, and that’s playing to a certain level that you believe is good enough to be in that squad. It’s important that you play regularly and I’m doing both at the minute.
“I feel like I’m in a good place, and it’s not gone my way. But I’m focused on West Ham, doing my best for this club and enjoying every minute of it, so long that may that continue.”
Given that there aren’t too many players that are in the form that Ward-Prowse is in at present, it does make you wonder whether there are other factors in play.
Southgate hasn’t appeared to be a manager who has his favourites, though there’s a decent enough argument that he’s employed the old pals act on this occasion.