In case you were wondering how far down the England pecking order Jack Wilshere had fallen, the answer is very.
Last week, when Gareth Southgate announced his squad for the upcoming friendlies against Germany and Brazil, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was bemused to discover that Wilshere had missed out on a place.
“A super-fit Jack, I don’t know how you can keep him out of the English squad,” Wenger said last Wednesday.
Wilshere has been forced to play a bit-part role for the Gunners, starting only four games all season, but Wenger was of the opinion that he belonged in Southgate’s thoughts.
But the England boss responded to Wenger’s criticism by demanding to see some more minutes under his belt for his club before he would entertain the idea of recalling Wilshere.
“I don’t know how you get in an England squad without getting in the Arsenal team,” Southgate said.
“There is no question about his ability, his football brain or personality, we just need to see him playing before he comes back in because unfortunately there has been a history of injuries. I’ll be having discussions with Arsene about him, we think he is a top player so for him it’s about game time.”
And Southgate has doubled down on his opinion on Wilshere with his decision to offer Burnley midfielder Jack Cork his first England call-up on Tuesday evening.
Congratulations to @BurnleyOfficial's @JackCork1, who has been added to the #ThreeLions squad. https://t.co/FYLqXo5ufP
— England (@England) November 7, 2017
Several squad withdrawals – including Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph and Jordan Henderson – forced Southgate into some rejigging but, rather than bring in Wilshere, who has 34 caps to his name, he opted for a new face.
And Arsenal fans, who have a certain reputation on social media, were none too pleased with the decision.
He’s called up Jack Cork over Jack Wilshere. The pathetic cunt needs sacking for that alone. https://t.co/sqJx6wuDTa
— Joe (@RedAndWhite11) November 7, 2017
https://twitter.com/johnnymabe94/status/927979367053123585
https://twitter.com/afcEugene/status/927982013864382464
https://twitter.com/woodburygooner/status/927980974197170176
https://twitter.com/harryngibson/status/927980026120859648
https://twitter.com/TheWelbeckChop/status/927980996263333898
Jack Cork is apparently better than Jack Wilshere. Comedy GOLD from England! https://t.co/ggiV89Y6ls
— Len (@LenM4) November 7, 2017
Jack Cork, Jack Dick, any Jack but Wilshere. #Madness https://t.co/XcWBMRytw8
— ժгε (InfoSec Babysitter) (@AOnung) November 7, 2017
