It’s safe to say that Alan Shearer didn’t agree with Danny Drinkwater’s decision to rule himself out of England’s pair of friendlies.
England manager Gareth Southgate revealed that he had phoned the Chelsea midfielder to discuss his potential inclusion in his squad for the games against Germany and Brazil but Drinkwater turned down the opportunity due to concerns about his fitness.
“I spoke to Danny earlier in the week but he feels he is not fit enough to play,” Southgate said.
Drinkwater has made only four appearances for Chelsea since signing from Leicester on deadline day as he has seen his playing time limited due to a thigh injury.
He has since recovered and made his Blues debut but didn’t feel ready to even train with the national team, a decision which doesn’t sit well with England legend Alan Shearer.
Shearer has used his Sun column to slam Drinkwater for turning down the chance to play for England and urged Southgate to exclude the 27-year-old from future squads.
“Danny Drinkwater, what were you thinking? If you have not played enough football, take the opportunity to play some!” Shearer wrote.
“Going forward he is not the sort of person I would want in my squad. Given that attitude he shouldn’t be picked again.
“It is England v Germany at Wembley for crying out loud.
“Most players in my era would have given anything for that opportunity . . . yes, even to be on the bench.
“For some time the big question mark with England is whether the players really want to play for the Three Lions enough?
“Is their club more important and international football just a diversion?
“I have said many times in this column how pulling on an England shirt appears to be a burden for some when it should be the opposite.
“It should lift you up, make you proud, push you to another level.
“Those are the sort of players we need, not the ones crushed by the expectation.”
