The West Ham players who should be considered for England selection

The England squad for the World Cup qualifiers has now announced and there are two West Ham stars that have received call ups to Gareth Southgate’s squad.

Declan Rice and Jesse Lingard are the two Hammers who received the phone call from Southgate and will be in contention to represent their countries in the trio of World Cup qualifiers next month. Lingard’s loan move has paid off as the 28-year-old’s scintillating form has fired him back into Southgate’s good books.

However, despite both Rice and Lingard making it into the squad, there were rumours that two other Claret and Blue players were in with a shout of getting a call-up.

West Ham have had a fantastic season compared to last year and the Hammers find themselves firmly in a race for a Champions League spot. The players have gone to another level this year and it seems that some of their hard work has been recognised, with Czech duo Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal also getting called up by their national team.

West Ham already have an England regular in Declan Rice and it would have been a massive shock if the 21-year-old had not been recalled to the squad. However outside of Rice and now Lingard, West Ham haven’t had an England international for a long time. In fact, the last non-Rice West Ham player to represent England was Aaron Cresswell in 2016.

Gareth Southgate has named Declan Rice and Jesse Lingard in his England squad for the three World Cup qualifiers next month, but should he have called up some other West Ham players?

West Ham players have been massively overlooked when it comes to England in the past, the big name being Mark Noble, who hasn’t received a single call up in his career. Despite already choosing his squad for the next games, Gareth Southgate cannot afford to overlook players who play for clubs outside the ‘big six’ when choosing his squad for the Euros.

In fact, Southgate has now already lost out on one West Ham player who would have brought something very different to the England setup. Michail Antonio who was called up twice by Sam Allardyce and Southgate respectively but failed to make an appearance, has now decided that his international future lies with Jamaica.

England have missed out here, as Antonio has been having a fantastic season and could have made a very good super sub in the competition. Nobody in that England squad has the power on and off the ball that the 30-year-old possesses, and he could have been a very useful asset for Southgate.

Southgate should start to look beyond the traditional top six clubs, as there are players out there that are way more deserving of England call-ups compared to players like Eric Dier.

After missing out on Antonio, here are the two West Ham players that have missed out this month but who Southgate should consider calling up for the Euros.

Craig Dawson

Not a single West Ham fan would have believed that five months after signing for the club, Craig Dawson would be in with shout for an England call-up. You would have been laughed at. But here we are, and it’s a massive testament to how well the Englishman has played this season.

According to the Athletic, the England manager had been encouraged to consider calling Dawson up to the England squad for the Euros – and for good reason.

Dawson has been a rock at the back for West Ham since making his Hammers debut against Southampton in December, and he has helped Moyes’ men keep seven clean sheets since then. The impact Dawson has had on West Ham’s defence has been incredible and he seems to have left the mistake-ridden Watford edition far behind him.

The centre-back has made an average of 0.5 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 3.9 clearances per game, according to WhoScored. These stats show just how solid Dawson has been at the back for West Ham, especially the clearances and interception stats.

As well as his impressive defensive numbers, Dawson has also been lethal from set pieces and he has scored four goals in all competitions for West Ham, three in the Premier League and one in the FA Cup.  His defensive and attacking threats could be a needed part of Southgate’s England jigsaw in the summer.

One issue that could have been playing on Southgate’s mind is Dawson’s age. The England manager is well known for opting to bring in young talent over experience, and as Dawson is 30 years old, his age may well have stopped him from getting the cap that his form deserves.

Dawson has never represented England at a senior level but he did represent Great Britain’s Under-23’s during the 2012 Olympics. Despite missing out this month, what better time would there be to get your first England cap than at the Euros? He surprised West Ham fans, so there’s no reason why he can’t he surprise England fans.

Aaron Cresswell  

After a couple of years of decline, it seems as if Aaron Cresswell has recovered his best form. The 31-year-old left back has had a fantastic season at West Ham and he has been close to replicating some of the form he showed in his early West Ham career, which got him called up to the England squad in the first place.

Defensive, Cresswell has been great and he has really improved from last season where he looked very shaky on occasions. According to WhoScored the defender has made an average of 1.1 tackles, 1 interception and 2.3 clearances per game, which are impressive stats for a player who has spent most of his time at left-back.

However, it is his attacking contribution that has got him praise this season as the Englishman has registered seven Premier League assists, which is more than any other left-back in the league. Cresswell has a lethal delivery from set pieces, which would give Southgate more depth and options from with either side of the pitch as the Englishman is left footed.

Another reason why the 31-year-old should be in with a shout of a call up in the summer is his versatility. Cresswell has operated as a left-back, left wing-back and as a left-sided centre-back in a back three. This suits Southgate’s style as the England manager likes to play with three at the back and with wing-backs, and Cresswell can play in either position. It would make a lot of sense to bring him.

The left-back did manage to get himself into the England setup in 2016, which means that he will have experience of being in the squad – which can only be a good thing.

However, like Dawson, his age may well hold him back from being recalled as he doesn’t fit in with Southgate’s preferred age range. If the England boss was to look at the bigger picture then Cresswell would be a great addition and he would really suit England’s setup.

While it may be unlikely to see Cresswell and Dawson get called up to the squad, it is encouraging to see more than one West Ham player get considered for the England squad. It is commonly said that West Ham won England the World Cup in 1966, so could we see a repeat of history and see the Hammers win England Euro 2020?