Liverpool news: Alex Oxlade Chamberlain should not be in the England squad, says Paul Merson
That is the view of Sky Sports pundit and former England forward Paul Merson.
Oxlade-Chamberlain joined Liverpool from Arsenal on transfer deadline day but has made just one start for the Reds.
That came in the Carabao Cup loss to Leicester last month and he has struggled to make an impact in his cameo performances in the Premier League and Champions League.
Before yesterday’s 1-0 win over Slovenia, Merson said of Oxlade-Chamberlain: “You look in midfield and Oxlade-Chamberlain will be very fortunate to play.
If you don’t play for your club, you don’t play for England. It’s as simple as that
Paul Merson on Liverpool star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
“In my day and age he wouldn’t even be in the squad.
“That’s the problem now, the squad virtually picks itself. There’s not a huge amount of depth and it is harder to get out of the squad than it is to get in it.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain did start the game and played 64 minutes before being replaced by Manchester United's Jesse Lingard.
Speaking today, Merson was angry the 24-year-old was picked because he is not playing for Liverpool.
Klopp looks utterly unimpressed by Oxlade-Chamberlain's pass
SKY SPORTS
Liverpool news: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is yet to make a positive impact at his new club
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“You know Oxlade-Chamberlain, I don’t want to pick on Oxlade-Chamberlain,” he said.
“But if you don’t play for your club, you don’t play for England. It’s as simple as that.
“I played in an era where Paul Gascoigne played, one of the best England players you’ll ever see.
“If he wasn’t playing for his club, he had no chance of playing for England. That’s the way it worked.”
