Jonjo Shelvey has been right at the heart of Newcastle United’s rejuvenation in recent weeks and has been touted for an outside chance of a World Cup spot.
Newcastle United continued their excellent run of form as they came from behind to defeat Arsenal 2-1 on Sunday, with Jonjo Shelvey very much at the heart of the success.
Both Mohamed Diame and Shelvey have been the real catalysts for their team, providing the tenacity and drive from the centre of the pitch to allow the likes of Matt Ritchie, Ayoze Perez and Dwight Gayle to all excel when going forward.
Shelvey, 26, who has been capped six times by England, has not received an international call-up for the Three Lions since 2015, when he enjoyed all but one of his senior international appearances. But, he has worked hard to get back to his best with the Magpies, helping them away from the relegation battle and into the top ten.
With competition for places in Gareth Southgate’s squad growing so fierce – with a number of options in each position – the debate will only continue to increase as we near the end of the domestic season and, should Newcastle continue their strong finish and record a further giant slaying victory against the likes of Chelsea or Tottenham, Shelvey may be in with an outside shot of a place in the squad for Russia.
Following the 26-year-old’s rise in form, some fans on Twitter were presented with a question as to whether or not the former Liverpool youngster is worthy of a late call-up for England and there was an overwhelmingly positive response in favour of such a suggestion.
Some fans dubbed him the best passer England have to offer, while others suggested that he should definitely be picked over the likes of Jake Livermore and Jack Cork, whom they believe have not matched Shelvey’s level of performance.
Here is a round-up of some of the reaction:
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