Rio Ferdinand says James Ward-Prowse should retire from England duty if overlooked by Gareth Southgate

Former Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand has urged James Ward-Prowse to consider retiring from international duty if he continues to be overlooked by Gareth Southgate.

The Southampton midfielder has been in impressive form this season, with one goal and four assists in four appearances for the Saints and West Ham United. However, he was overlooked for Southgate’s latest England squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine and friendly with Scotland.

Ferdinand believes that Southgate’s decision to overlook Ward-Prowse is “disrespectful” and that the midfielder should consider retiring from international duty if he continues to be overlooked.

Gareth Southgate’s Squad Divides Opinion

Southgate named his Three Lions squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier against Ukraine and friendly with Scotland last week and, as per usual, it divided opinion.

Much of the discourse centered around the inclusion of Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips despite their lack of game time or form for Manchester United and Manchester City respectively over the course of the year.

The pair made the cut ahead of the likes of West Ham duo Ward-Prowse and Jarrod Bowen who have made a blistering start to this season, with the Irons fourth in the table and unbeaten after four games.

Rio Ferdinand’s Criticism of Gareth Southgate’s Selection

“I’ve never known a manager to pick players that are consistently not playing,” Ferdinand fumed on the FIVE podcast.

“I get it if a player hasn’t played for five, six or 10 games maybe. But Phillips and Maguire don’t kick a ball. They don’t play, they do warm-ups and they’re getting in England squads. It amazes me.”

“Southgate comes out and says we haven’t got defenders. Go and use a young one man! Go and use someone young or inexperienced who you’re thinking about. You know what Maguire does.”

“It’s a reward for performances playing for England. It’s the best players that are currently playing in their teams. Maguire don’t kick a ball. He comes on for cameos here and there.”

“Kalvin with respect isn’t anywhere near the Man City team. He won a treble last year and well done to him but he ain’t kicked a ball. These men ain’t playing football and they’re still getting in a team based off of work that they done two, three years ago.”

Rio Ferdinand Urges James Ward-Prowse to Retire from England Duty

“If I was Sterling, I’d be very disappointed bearing in mind what he’s done for this England team when he’s been in or around it,” Ferdinand added.

“If you’re going by the yard stick that Gareth’s using with the likes of Maguire and Phillips, why is it all right for them guys to get in and not him? Sterling’s probably been the main bright spark at Chelsea. It’s just nuts.”

“If I’m someone like Ward-Prowse I’d just retire. Say, ‘listen, don’t pick me no more. There’s no point. It’s disrespectful what you’re doing’. It is to people like him, especially Ward-Prowse who’s been putting up numbers for his team on a regular basis. What more does a man got to do to get a sniff?”

Conclusion

Rio Ferdinand has urged James Ward-Prowse to consider retiring from international duty if he continues to be overlooked by Gareth Southgate. The Southampton midfielder has been in impressive form this season but was overlooked for Southgate’s latest England squad.

Ferdinand believes that Southgate’s decision to overlook Ward-Prowse is “disrespectful” and that the midfielder should consider retiring from international duty if he continues to be overlooked.