Paul Merson told Sky Sports that reported Aston Villa target, James Ward-Prowse was ‘bang unlucky’ to miss out on an England spot.
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury last week, opened the door for a new face to make England’s 26-man squad, including Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
But with injury concerns to certain players, Gareth Southgate opted for Ben White, with many thinking that Ward-Prowse should have been the one selected instead.
And Merson thinks, along with Harry Maguire’s injury, the worrying performances from Mings meant that Southgate had to take an extra centre-back rather than pick a Ward-Prowse.
“Ward-Prowse was the bang unlucky one,” said Merson. “He could not go over (Ben) White, because you have a look and think how near is (Harry) Maguire, it’s a gamble.
“And the other reason is (Tyrone) Mings was that bad, you had to take him! I’m not being horrible but he did not play well, he was shaky in both games.
“You look and think I have got to take another defender, just in case. Ward-Prowse was unlucky, out of everyone he can pass a ball, get it moving, move it quickly, he plays exactly like he does for Southampton when he plays for England, which too many other players do not.”
With the Emi Buendia signing in the bag, it seems as though Villa will be targeting Ward-Prowse next.
Villa have already made a statement by bringing in Buendia’s talents and doing the same with Ward-Prowse would only result in them being heard far and wide across the Premier League.
Jack Grealish is the most fouled player in Europe and with Ward-Prowse being a set-piece expert, it is logical to add his talents to their books.
During the brief games for England, when Grealish was getting kicked about by the Austrian and Romanian’s, it was Ward-Prowse feeding in some high-quality balls into the box, and it’s perhaps a sign of what could happen if Villa managed to secure his services.
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