EXCLUSIVE
‘Be patient’ – James Ward-Prowse warned not to make regrettable decision like Wilfried Zaha
Alan Pardew wants patience from James Ward-Prowse amid his latest England snub after suggesting Wilfried Zaha regretted not waiting for his call-up.
The West Ham midfielder has once again been left out of Gareth Southgate's Three Lions squad despite scoring two goals and assisting nine others for the Hammers this season.
4
Ward-Prowse already has 11 England appearances to his name and fans believe he should be picked over Jordan Henderson or Kalvin Phillips, both of whom receive regular call-ups.
Despite his frustrations, Pardew insists that the midfielder needs to remain patient following his previous experience with Zaha.
The winger played under Pardew for just under two years at Crystal Palace and made two England appearances prior to his stint but then decided to play for the Ivory Coast, his birth country, in 2016.
Amid James Ward-Prowse's latest contentious omission, The Final Word host Majestic asked if he will ever say he won't be available for the Three Lions, but Pardew believes he shouldn't never do so.
READ MORE ON ENGLAND
He recalled his own experience with Zaha as to why, telling talkSPORT: "No no no, I don't think you should ever do that, ever, ever, ever do that, the players who have done that have really regretted it I think over the years.
4
4
"Put yourself up for England, no matter when it comes... can you imagine coming round to a World Cup and suddenly there's a couple of injuries and now you're in, now you're playing.
"I've seen it so many times with players, I had a long conversation with Zaha, I said, 'Put yourself up for England.' 'No I want to play international football, I'm not going to play for England,' [he said].
"He just wanted to play and I was like, 'Be patient, be patient,' and in the end he missed out. I always think if you've got a chance to play for England, always leave that door open."
Most read in Football
England boss Gareth Southgate tried to persuade Zaha to not switch his international allegiance but to no avail, with the Galatasaray star since scoring five goals in 31 appearances for the Ivory Coast.
4
Ward-Prowse last featured for the Three Lions in June 2022 in their 0-0 Nations League draw against Italy and his set to wait even longer for his next cap.
He assisted two goals for West Ham on Sunday in their 3-2 win over Nottingham Forest, with the 29-year-old arguably one of the signings of the season.
Topics