Wilshere: I should be there

JACK WILSHERE hit out last night over his omission from England’s World Cup squad with a dig at manager Gareth Southgate. The England coach telephoned the Arsenal midfielder (right) on Tuesday to tell him he would not be going to Russia. And Wilshere slammed the decision on Twitter. He said: ‘Think it’s about time I had my say. It goes without saying that I’m incredibly disappointed to have been left out of the squad for the World Cup. I’ve felt fit, sharp and strong all season and believe I should be in the squad! ‘Given the chance I could have made a real impact. However, I have to respect the manager’s decision and would like to wish the whole squad all the very best for the tournament. ‘I’ll always be an England fan and will be supporting the boys with the rest of the nation.’ Wilshere was handed an England recall in March for the friendly games against Holland and Italy, but withdrew 24 hours before the match in Amsterdam due to a minor knee injury. He returned to fitness and his performances towards the end of the season led Southgate to consider Wilshere for a place, but he did not make the final 23. The Arsenal star’s outburst came on the day Southgate gave his squad permission to cut loose before they start the hard work of rebuilding English football’s tattered reputation. The manager revealed he went to party destination Magaluf with Aston Villa in the lead-up to Euro 96. He then flew to Hong Kong with England for a training camp that spawned the infamous, boozy dentist’s chair incident. But despite a potential for controversy before next month’s World Cup, Southgate said: ‘I’m not interested in what they do over the next few days. ‘It’s four weeks before we have a game.’