‘He deserves to be there’ – Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez believes Jonjo Shelvey should go to World Cup with England
Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez believes Jonjo Shelvey deserves to be in Englands World Cup squad.
The midfielder put in a man-of-the-match display against Chelsea on the final day as the Magpies strolled to an impressive 3-0 victory.
His performances towards the end of the season have given Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate food for thought ahead of the squads announcement on Wednesday.
Benitez said: The way that he has been behaving and playing during the season, especially at the end of the season, I think he is a different kind of midfielder so I am sure he will be in consideration.
He will be one of the names in the head of the manager until the last minute.
He added: I think he deserves to be there, especially because of the characteristics that he has and the way he was behaving himself in the last month.
There is room for a surprise inclusion in central midfield with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ruled out of the tournament in Russia.
Nobody has taken ownership of that position in the heart of Englands midfield, except perhaps Liverpools Jordan Henderson, but his partner remains unclear.
26-year-old Shelvey has six caps for the national side but hasnt been called up since 2015.