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#2 Fabian Delph
Okay, so it’s notable that Fabian Delph of Manchester City actually withdrew from the England squad earlier today due to an injury, and he’s since been replaced by Southampton’s dead-ball expert James Ward-Prowse. But the point still stands as he was initially selected, and in all honesty it’s hard to explain his spot.
When questioned about Delph’s selection during the press conference following the squad announcement last week, Gareth Southgate justified it by stating that while the midfielder/defender hadn’t played a lot of football for Manchester City recently, he was one of England’s most outstanding players during their November Nations League victory over Croatia, and thus it would’ve been hard to leave him out.
That’s very fair – Delph was indeed fantastic during the Croatia game in the role of pivot in England’s three-man midfield, but since mid-January he’s struggled badly for playing time at the Etihad. The last time Delph played a full Premier League game for City was on December 15th, and after his Boxing Day sending off he’s appeared just 4 times – only playing the full game in City’s FA Cup tie with Burton Albion.
For me that just isn’t enough football to justify a spot in the England squad despite his past performance for the Three Lions. It’s obviously academic as Delph is now out with injury anyway, but perhaps a little too much faith in his World Cup veterans might be the lone criticism fans could have of Southgate right now.
