Ritchie raves about Newcastle teammate Shelvey; suggests him for England

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Jonjo Shelvey has been one of Newcastle’s shining lights in what has been a tough Premier League season, and his work has not gone unnoticed.

Newcastle United and Scotland winger Matt Ritchie has raved about his Magpies teammate Jonjo Shelvey in an interview with talkSport, insisting that the former Liverpool star is the best passer of the ball he has seen.

Ritchie himself may have been stealing the headlines this season with winning goals against Manchester United and Arsenal under his belt. However, it has been the likes of Shelvey, Jamaal Lascelles and January addition Martin Dubravka who have been holding the team together during the tough times.

Shelvey has helped lead a remarkable turnaround in recent months, which has seen the Toon go from relegation battle favourites to 13 points clear of the drop zone with five games to go.

Speaking with talkSPORT on the six-capped England midfielder, Ritchie praised Shelvey’s ability as a footballer and suggested that, given his current form, he would definitely be in his plans for the World Cup squad if he was the current Three Lions manager.

“He’s the best I’ve seen [at passing the ball]. I think you saw a glimpse of it at the weekend – left foot, right foot, under pressure, not under pressure,” Ritchie explained.

“His form has been fantastic and obviously it’s not my place to say who plays for England but for sure, if I was England manager, I would love to have him in my team.”

Shelvey faces some stiff competition in the midfield if he is selected for an England recall as Ritchie has suggested. The likes of Jordan Henderson, Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Eric Dier and Harry Winks are just a few of the players he will be up against and, having not played for England since 2015, the Newcastle star has a challenge ahead.

Nevertheless, if form alone was the only consideration, you would have to say that Shelvey would have a massive chance of making the England squad and, depending on Gareth Southgate’s plans, he may still have.