Jagielka speaks frankly with his Toffees team-mate.
Everton captain Phil Jagielka has offered some harsh but true words to team-mate Leighton Baines, telling the 28-year-old that Chelsea’s Ashley Cole is still England’s No.1 left-back.
Baines is likely to start both of the nations upcoming World Cup qualifiers with Montenegro and Poland, as Cole has pulled out of the squad due to a rib injury.
However, despite impressing consistently for the Toffees over the past few years, the full-back’s opportunities on the international stage have been limited to 19 caps.
This is mainly due to the prolonged success of the genuinely world-class Cole, who has looked like the national team’s best player for quite some time.
This is something that Jagielka agrees with, telling Baines that unfortunately the Blues star has earned the right to be considered first choice.
“I think Ashley has performed to levels that he does not deserve to lose his place and Bainsey is one of my closest friends,” the 31-year-old was quoted by the Daily Star.
“He has been fantastic for us at Everton but unfortunately for him, the person he has tried to nudge out of the way has performed very well, particularly in an England shirt.”
Jagielka is also likely to start the crucial qualifiers over the next week, with the centre-back firmly established in the English side following the successive retirements of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand.
Both the defender and Baines have been instrumental in the success on Merseyside in recent times and have impressed once again this season.
“Dapatkan rumor transfer dan berita tentang Chelsea dalam Bahasa Indonesia di fanatix ID!”
COMMENTS