World Cup axe was tough to take..but the RIGHT decision

LALLANA AGREED WITH SOUTHGATE.. AND CHEERED ON ENGLAND IN RUSSIA

rang the Liverpool playmaker to explain he had left him out because he had barely figured last season, due to injury.

Lallana understood his thinking – and insists he can still be a big player for England.

“Gareth has been absolutely brilliant,” he said. “It probably wasn’t a comfortable call for him, but he still made it, like he made it for the other lads who missed out.

“I know that, if my season had been different and I had been fit, I would have been there. But it was probably the right call.

“He said you don’t gain your form in a tournament, going on history and past experiences. Listen, the lads had a massive tournament, but I’m sure I have still got a lot to give. I’ll be there in the next camp.”

Picking a fully fit Lallana would have been a no-brainer for Southgate and he is a big fan of the attacking midfielder.

He says he remains a key player for him and Lallana was heartened by those words.

“I still feel that’s the case,” he said. “If I had been fit and had a half-decent season in terms of availability, there’s no shadow of a doubt that I would have been there.

“But that’s in the past and I’m back in pre-season, three weeks down the line. The next goal is West Ham and I want to be in the best possible shape for it. I want to play good football again.”

Lallana, 30, got over his huge disappointment to cheer England on and he was delighted for close pal Jordan Henderson when they reached the semi-finals.

“Of course, it was frustrating because I wanted to be there,” he said. “Sometimes, when you’re a professional footballer, you have to deal with tough decisions. So I was just supporting them like any other fan.

“My best mate Jordan was there and he was one of the best players. It was great to see him do so well. The team got to a semi-final and it was a remarkable achievement.”

Lallana was not the only Liverpool player hurting over not making it to the World Cup with England – Alex Oxladechamberlain would have been there but for his knee injury.

Boss Jurgen Klopp revealed Oxlade-chamberlain wanted to keep the extent of his problem under wraps to avoid being a distraction before the Champions League Final and Lallana praised his selflessness.

“He’s such a good kid,” said Lallana. “We, obviously, knew the full extent of the injury – more or less when it happened – but he wanted the focus to be on the Final.

“It’s now up to myself and the other lads to have a good season for him.”