Roy Hodgson has challenged Jonjo Shelvey to make himself a regular in the England setup after recalling the Swansea City player for the European Championship qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland that give Wayne Rooney the chance to take Sir Bobby Charlton’s record as the highest scorer in the team’s history.
Shelvey has been brought back into a squad that also features Ryan Mason of Tottenham Hotspur, the Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy and a recall for Jack Butland, to act as back-up for Joe Hart, now he is playing regularly for Stoke City.
Vardy, who will face a verbal warning from the Football Association’s technical director, Dan Ashworth, for breaching the England players’ code of conduct, is preferred to Charlie Austin, whose inability to find himself a Premier League club has damaged his chances. Rob Green, also of QPR, has made way too, in his case for Butland to be included in the 22-man squad.
Shelvey’s inclusion comes after an impressive start to the season, helping Garry Monk’s team to draw at Chelsea and beat Manchester United. Shelvey’s only previous cap came in October 2012 against San Marino, as a 66th-minute substitute, and he has spent long periods out of contention, not helped by his apparent attitude when he was playing for England’s Under-21s and, according to Hodgson, the midfielder was reticent to be involved with Gareth Southgate’s team.
Hodgson is hoping the 23-year-old can now establish himself as a regular member of the squad and has challenged his more inexperienced players to stay in his plans for next summer’s European Championship.
“Jonjo Shelvey gets another chance as he has been very impressive since the start of the season,” Hodgson said. “This latest squad shows we are working a good number of players with a claim to be England regulars and secure a place in Euro 2016.”
Austin has scored four goals in his first five games for QPR in the Championship but Hodgson has decided to keep Vardy in the squad rather than going for the player who is now involved in second-tier football.
The 28-year-old will be the back-up for Rooney and Harry Kane but the Leicester striker will be reprimanded because of the incident that has made him the second player – after Saido Berahino for a drink-drive conviction earlier this year – to contravene the FA’s code of conduct.
Vardy has already been hit with a substantial fine from his club and ordered to undergo a course in diversity awareness after he was caught on CCTV abusing a fellow gambler in a casino and calling him “Jap” on three occasions. The code of conduct stipulates that players must remember they “are ambassadors for their country and role models for younger players”, and “the highest standards of conduct and behaviour are therefore expected at all times, including when players are not on international duty”. Ashworth intends to speak to him about his behaviour and remind him of his responsibilities.
Rooney is on 48 goals, one behind Charlton’s mark, and has an outstanding chance of equalling or breaking the record against San Marino on Saturday. The Switzerland game is at Wembley three days later and England can seal their qualification for the tournament in these two fixtures.
Goalkeepers Joe Hart, Jack Butland, Tom Heaton. Defenders Nathaniel Clyne, Luke Shaw, Kieran Gibbs, Gary Cahill, Chris Smalling, John Stones, Phil Jagielka. Midfielders Michael Carrick, James Milner, Ross Barkley, Jonjo Shelvey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Raheem Sterling, Fabian Delph, Ryan Mason. Forwards Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Theo Walcott.
