Everton midfielder Barkley, enjoyed an impressive start to the season.”For him it’s disappointing, for me, you have to make these decisions”.
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“He has made a massive impact in the last few years and we felt the experience with the Under 21 would be the best thing for Rashford during this worldwide break”.
Explaining his decision to bring in 26-year-old Antonio, who progressed through the divisions for the best part of a decade before landing at West Ham last September, Allardyce told FATV: “I think he’s in outstanding form”.
In all there are five changes from the squad that failed in France this summer, with Luke Shaw, Phil Jagielka, Danny Drinkwater and Theo Walcott all returning. He has scored eight headed goals since the start of last season – including one in each of his last two league games.
Antonio began his career at non-league Tooting & Mitcham United before stints at Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest preceded a £7m move to West Ham in 2015. “And there is a shortage of English players in the Premier League”.
Elsewhere Manchester City’s former Leeds United player Fabian Delph was overlooked in midfield, as were previous Allardyce favourites Mark Noble and Jermain Defoe.
Allardyce, who revealed that he will confirm who will captain the Three Lions once the squad has convened at the national football centre next week, says he’s been watching games closely since the new season kicked off earlier this month.
“I think that that journey is something that deserves to be in this squad and me to have a look at as a potential player going forward”.
No announcement has yet been made about whether record goalscorer Wayne Rooney – listed in the squad as a midfielder – will retain the captaincy.
“He goes forward, creates a career for himself and finally ends up in the Premier League and with us in this squad”.
“This is a Manchester United squad of real depth and power and Rooney needs to be producing at the highest level to make sure he stays in it”, Shearer wrote in his column for The Sun newspaper.
He will don the armband under Allardyce for the first time on Sunday when England launch their attempt to reach the next World Cup in Russian Federation with a game against Slovakia in Trnava.
He added, per the Mirror: “I just give my all every time I go on the field, so for me to called-up by England, I don’t know what to say! My thoughts today are to meet the players and then talk to them individually”. I hope so. You never know do you? Other young players might look at the situation and wonder whether the door has closed on them too, at least for the time being.
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Rooney’s current tally stands at 53 goals and against Slovakia he will become England’s most capped outfield player on 116 caps, surpassing David Beckham.
