RYAN BERTRAND insists Gareth Southgate made a mistake in not taking him to the World Cup.
The Southampton left-back was left out of England’s 23-man squad for Russia, with Ashley Young, Danny Rose and Fabian Delph preferred.
Ryan Bertrand has said Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave him out the England squad was an oversightNews Group Newspapers Ltd
Bertrand, 28, told the Daily Mail that Southgate said his decision was down to the selected players’ capability at left wing-back.
But he said: “I played wing-back in a five at the end of the season, which is how England play. I also played in a three for Southampton with Vigil van Dijk and Jose Fonte, and we went on Southampton’s record clean sheet run, six on the bounce.
“I played left-midfield in a Champions League final for Chelsea. It is perhaps an oversight in the manager’s analysis and I find that hard to take.”
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Southampton’s 28-year-old left-back said his statistics showed him to be the lead player in his positionReuters
Southgate opted for Danny Rose, Fabian Delph and Ashley Young insteadGetty Images - Getty
Southgate’s call came two days into a family holiday at the end of the season.
Bertrand said he was shocked at the news and some “awkward silences” followed but he decided there was no point trying to convince the England boss.
He said: “On individual comparisons, I deserve to be on the plane. I assessed my game time and contributions against my rivals and I was very competitive, if not leading in the statistics.”
Rose has said he would be “very angry” had he been in Bertrand’s shoesGetty - Contributor
Rose, who started in England’s 1-0 win over Costa Rica on Thursday, said last week he would have been “very angry” if he were Bertrand.
The Tottenham full-back has played just 17 matches for Tottenham since January 2017, while Bertrand represented Southampton 54 times in the same period.
Bertrand will instead cheering on the Three Lions when they face Tunisia on June 18.
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