Arsenal legend Ian Wright has said Harry Kane’s criticism of the nine England players who withdrew from November’s UEFA Nations League clashes came as a shock to him. According to Wright, with fixture congestion at its peak and the FA not giving any importance to the Nations League games, it was perfectly alright for the players to pull out.
Arsenal stars Aaron Ramsdale, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Chelsea pair Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill, Manchester City duo Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold made themselves unavailable for the UEFA Nations League clashes in November. Later, Everton man Jarrad Branthwaite added himself to the list.
England captain Kane did not like that so many of his compatriots chose to withdraw. Speaking at a press conference, he suggested they were prioritizing their clubs over their country. The withdrawals, however, did not hurt the Three Lions, as they cruised to a 3-0 victory over Greece on Thursday night (November 14) to propel themselves to the top of the Group B2 rankings.
Ian Wright Defends 9 Players Who Did Not Play in UEFA Nations League
Speaking on ITV ahead of England’s clash against Greece, Wright defended those who did not make the trip to Athens.
He said (via Metro):
“What I would say in respect to the players that have pulled out, you would like to have seen them there. But we are talking about a period of time where the players have seen that the FA have chosen not to have the [new] manager [Thomas Tuchel] for this game.
“What kind of message are you sending to the players? I’m not going to blame the players or question integrity of the players in respect of them joining up, but if they have got the knocks and they feel like they’re going to sit out this one, then the opportunity should be for those coming in. The big issue is the scheduling, that’s what it comes down to. The managers are talking about it, the players are talking about it, people are getting injured and they are glossing over that.”
Ian Wright Shocked by England Captain Harry Kane’s Comments
Discussing Kane’s comments, Wright added:
“I was very surprised if I am totally honest as you are talking about somebody who has been in the trenches with those guys.
“Every single England call-up is important, every single one is an opportunity and it just felt like we are talking about the captain of a bunch of players who has said that Gareth [Southgate] has brought them together and everything is so strong – to go from all that unity in the squad to then a few withdrawals and then you’re hearing the lack of commitment.”
The former England international concluded by saying:
“Again, I have to go back to the FA. The FA have chosen not to have their [new] manager here.
“They’ve kind of set a precedent for it, but for Harry to say that about the players he’s been in the trenches with, two finals, semi-finals of the World Cup. Knowing the caliber of the players, to then say he is disappointed to see them not coming, especially with the fixtures and how the game is going crazy, it was a bit of a shock to me.”
England will face the Republic of Ireland in their final UEFA Nations League Group B2 clash on November 17.
