Gareth Southgate Made Mistake With England Squad Selection For 2022 World Cup – Neymar

Brazil forward Neymar has suggested that England manager Gareth Southgate may have made an error in not picking Jadon Sancho in his World Cup squad.

Southgate ruffled a few feathers with his final squad for the Mundial with several high-profile names conspicuously missing from the list.

Key among the absentees was Manchester United attacker Jadon Sancho, who was later trolled by an Irish Airline – RyanAir – for his inability to make the England squad for the global showpiece.

His absence may somehow be justified following his questionable form in the build-up to the World Cup despite showing positive signs early in the campaign.

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However, Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar is of a different opinion, suggesting Sancho’s skillset should have merited him a spot in Southgate’s 26-man squad. The 30-year-old, who made Brazil’s list for the World Cup, said in an interview with the Telegraph, after excluding the Three Lions from his favourites to lift the World Cup: “I forgot about England, but obviously they have a chance.”

When asked who his favorite English players were, he added: “I really like Kane and Sancho, they are two incredible players and I have a special love for them. I like players that have their qualities.”

Sancho’s form at Old Trafford has been somewhat inconsistent this season with the 22-year-old starting 10 of Man United’s first 11 Premier League matches, but he has since suffered fitness setbacks.

He has struggled to replicate the excellent form he showed across three seasons at Borussia Dortmund, where he bagged 50 goals and provided multiple assists. That led to a long-awaited switch to United, but he has taken time to settle at Old Trafford.

Sancho has won 23 caps for England and was a part of the Euro 2020 squad that reached the final, but he started just one match during the tournament – an impressive display in the quarter-final victory over Ukraine.

The last time the winger played for England was in a five-goal victory away to Andorra in a World Cup qualification match back in October 2021. Despite hopes that he would be involved in this tournament’s squad, he was overlooked by Southgate for selection.