Ryan Bertrand says England World Cup snub is 'hard to take'
Saturday 9 June 2018 12:07, UK
Ryan Bertrand has criticised Gareth Southgate for leaving him out of England's World Cup squad, branding the decision as an "oversight".
The Southampton left-back played in six of his country's ten qualifying matches for this summer's tournament, but Southgate has chosen to take Danny Rose, Ashley Young and Fabian Delph as his options on the left side of defence.
Bertrand played 40 times for Saints this season, whereas Rose featured just 17 times for Tottenham.
Young and Delph have converted to full-back later in their careers, but both are capable of playing elsewhere on the pitch, with their versatility a useful option for Southgate in Russia.
However, Bertrand baulked at the suggestion that he lacked their versatility and suggested Southgate had made a mistake leaving him at home.
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"I played wing-back in a five at the end of the season, which is how England play," Bertrand told the Daily Mail.
"I also played in a central three for Southampton with Virgil 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."
