Antonio was the only uncapped player named in Allardyce’s first squad.
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“The door will always be open for Ross but at this moment we felt the squad I’ve picked is the right one”, said Allardyce, who will name his captain on Tuesday.
“He goes forward, creates a career for himself and finally ends up in the Premier League and with us in this squad”. Hopefully the players will make it a lot easier or a lot more hard, like the Barkley decision. “Whereas in the Euros we all knew that one point was enough for them and they made a very solid defensive unit that was very hard to break down”.
On what things he and his coaching staff had looked at when selecting players, he said: “We’ve looked at all avenues, what sort of pre-season they’ve had, what happened last season, this season, look at the balance of the squad…”
“If Jack Wilshere was playing every week for Arsenal he would be in the squad, but unfortunately he isn’t”.
The 26-year-old has scored two goals in his last two games for the Hammers, including in Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester City, and Allardyce believes Antonio deserves his place.
“The journey”, said Allardyce, referring to why he selected Antonio.
The move was blocked by Federation Internationale de Football Association due to N’Zonzi having played for France’s under-21 team, but with only around 35 percent of Premier League starters being English, Allardyce wants to keep his options open.
“I think that previous year his impact on West Ham was only overshadowed by [Dimitri] Payet, he scored nine goals in his first season”. It shows how much it means if you’ve got guts, determination and desire.
But Allardyce said Rooney had been “an excellent captain for England” and as the most senior squad member was the “right choice to lead the team”. “Then we can get ready if it does”, Allardyce said. “I may consider changing the format of the squad announcement next time so it says “no position”!” “In a multi-national side from all over the world, he could speak four different languages and communicate very well with some of the players who couldn’t speak quite as good English”.
Sky Sports reported on Monday evening that a loan switch was now a possibility prior to the transfer window closing on Wednesday night. Antonio moved to West Ham past year and has impressed as a right-sided midfielder, especially in the air. “It could be a distraction and we’ll address the players today when they arrive”.
“I don’t even know what happens here. I think he’s enjoyed the responsibility”.
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The England manager named his squad for this weekend’s trip to Slovakia on Sunday evening.
