Former Premier League striker Darren Bent has slammed England manager Gareth Southgate after West Ham loan sensation Jesse Lingard was omitted from the Euro 2020 squad.
Despite earning a recall in March following a remarkable spell of form in east London, the 28-year-old failed to make the cut for the upcoming tournament after being left out of the 26-man group.
However, Lingard is expected to start against Austria on Wednesday night as the Three Lions begin their final preparations.
That decision left Bent bewildered as Sky Sports News reacted to the squad announcement.
Gareth’s causing his own problems there because if Lingard plays tomorrow and does really well, scores two, there’s going to be an outcry of ‘why’s he not in the squad?’ Surely Gareth wants to use these games to get ready for the tournament. There’s going to be players there like Raheem Sterling, who’s not played that many minutes.
Prior to the stellar loan move in the final months of 2020/21 – during which Lingard bagged nine Premier League goals and five assists – the attacking midfielder was in no contention for an England recall.
Having watched on from the sidelines for the entire campaign until February, the 27-cap ace’s revival was one of the stories of the season.
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There’s no doubt it would’ve been nice to see Lingard’s second-coming continue this summer alongside Declan Rice.
West Ham fans may hope their loan stars omission will give him more time to decide where his future lies.
With speculation still rumbling on, the Hammers will surely remain keen on landing the ace on a permanent basis.
