Dean Smith told his pre-match press conference that Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford has been ‘unlucky’ to miss out on a place in the England squad.
The Aston Villa boss also feels two of his own players – Ezri Konsa and Matt Targett have also been unfortunate to miss out on a call from Gareth Southgate.
On Thursday, Southgate opted to hand debut calls to West Brom shot-stopper Sam Johnstone and Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
There was a lot of frustration from Leeds fans that Watkins got picked ahead of their own player and Smith admitted that he was ‘unlucky’.
“They (Konsa and Targett) have been in a very good form,” said Smith. “There are always players who are going to be unlucky.
“I think Patrick Bamford is also unlucky at Leeds United. There are lots of players that Gareth has to choose from, so I certainly don’t envy the role he has got.
“He also namechecks Matty Cash, who has been injured, unfortunately, so there are a lot of players out there who are pushing and Gareth will have a tricky job come the summer picking for the Euros.”
Well, just over 24 hours after being snubbed by his country, Bamford provided another reason as to why he should have been in the England squad.
The 27-year-old scored and assisted as Leeds saw past a pretty tricky Fulham team, who had been in good form and are fighting relegation.
For Bamford, it’s now a case of plucking away and adding to his performances and hoping that call comes before England set out for the Euros.
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