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Arsenal news: Jack Wilshere should be in England squad, there is nobody better - Francis
ARSENAL star Jack Wilshere is the best English player at unlocking defences and should have been named in the World Cup squad, claims Bournemouth defender Simon Francis.
Arsenal news: Jack Wilshere was wrongly left out of the England squad, says Francis
Wilshere was a surprise omission from the 23-man England squad that was named by Gareth Southgate today.
The Arsenal star has stayed fit for the majority of this season but maybe crucially missed the two international friendlies against Italy and the Netherlands in March with a slight knock.
Wilshere has not even been named among the five players on standby, with West Brom’s Jake Livermore and Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook preferred.
Francis played alongside Wilshere while he was on-loan at the Cherries for the 2016-17 season.
They might have seen it as a risk but for me you have to take risks in international football
And he says the 26-year-old is a risk England boss Southgate should have taken.
“Speaking on Jack, playing with him first-hand and seeing the ability he possesses, I can’t help but feel that England would have been needing that,” Francis told Sky Sports.
“They might have seen it as a risk but for me you have to take risks in international football.
“For him to be in that hole maybe, picking the ball up and looking to unlock defences at that level, I think there’s nobody better when they’re fully fit than Jack Wilshere.
Parlour claims Wilshere being let down by 'players around him'
Arsenal news: Francis says there are no better players than Jack Wilshere at unlocking defences
“I think Jack proved at the back end of the season and in 2018 that he can have a really good run of games.
“He did that for us, lasted the majority of the season before obviously picking up that injury away at Spurs.
“But he was crucial for us in staying up and finishing ninth that season.
“For sure he has the ability and like I mentioned before, sometimes you have to take risks at international football and there’s nobody better at unlocking defences and he could have been that key part.”
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