Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Jadon Sancho should have been named in the England squad for the upcoming internationals.
Sancho has not been included in Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions squad for this month’s Nations League games against Italy and Germany - the final international break before the season pauses for the World Cup later this year.
The 22-year-old has bagged three times for United so far this season but has not done enough to convince Southgate to draft him back into his set-up. Sancho has not played for his country since registering two assists in a 5-0 win over Andorra in a World Cup qualifier last October.
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However, United legend Ferdinand has suggested that Sancho has every right to feel 'disgruntled' about being left out of the squad, especially given his encouraging start to the new season.
Ferdinand, speaking on BT Sport ahead of Wolves' Premier League clash against Manchester City, claimed that it was a 'surprise' to see so many players included who are not playing regularly for their respective clubs.
"The only real surprise there was the amount of players that aren't playing regular football at their clubs, given the stance Gareth had when he got the job on picking players on form," Ferdinand said.
"Jadon Sancho will be one player, where we look at that squad and think, ‘I’ve done more than what’s expected of me as a winger in terms of output numbers-wise this season and I’m doing better than other players.’ He can feel disgruntled. That squad is a lot what we’d expect."
The 43-year-old also suggested that while he understands some players coming into the set-up without playing regularly, it is concerning when there are several players included.
He added: "You gain trust through performance. This England team have gone and done things that our generation never got near doing and that counts for something. I understand the odd player coming in when they haven’t been playing at club level, but when you’ve got more than the one... I’d look at it as a player, I’d be concerned. I’ve been in squads where players have come in and haven’t played for long periods and haven’t hit the form as they’re used too.
"I’m thinking, I hope you get more minutes by the time the World Cup comes because I don’t want you coming in rusty, I want you ready to play and in motion with momentum, which is key."
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