Chelsea's Nigerian Midfielder Disappointed Jack Wilshere Was Not Picked By England

Published: May 17, 2018

Shortly after England boss Gareth Southgate named his 23-man group for the World Cup, Chelsea midfielder of Nigerian descent Tariq Uwakwe took an exception to the exclusion of Jack Wilshere from the roster.

The Arsenal midfielder has struggled with injuries over the last few seasons but still managed to rack up 38 appearances for the Gunners during the 2017-2018 campaign.

Southgate could have observed Wilshere at close quarters in March but the talented midfielder withdrew from the squad before friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy due to a tendinopathy in the knee.

The Hale End Academy graduate has not played for the Three Lions since his appearance off the bench in their 2-1 loss to Iceland at the 2016 European Championship.

Writing on Twitter, Uwakwe said : ''England need jack wilshere more than they know for Russia''.

Uwakwe was open to the idea of playing for Nigeria's youth teams but the English FA are ahead of their Nigerian counterparts in the race for his services after capping him at U18, U19 and U20 level.

The Londoner helped Chelsea U18s win the quadruple in the 2017-2018 campaign.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : chelseafc.com