Former Aston Villa and England striker Gabby Agbonlahor has urged for a new Premier League rule to deal with players dropping out of international duty.
It follows the withdrawal of Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka from the latest Three Lions camp, joining Noni Madueke in heading back to Emirates Stadium, who was injured in the first March game against Uruguay.
In total across the nations, as many as 10 Arsenal stars were withdrawn from international duty to link back up with their club.
Gabby Agbonlahor suggests Premier League rule to clamp down on international duty dodging
Thomas Tuchel provided a strong defence of those departing players, backing that they had genuine concerns, but that hasn’t stopped some feeling like Mikel Arteta is acting in self-interest in calling his players back.
The Gunners currently sit at the top of the Premier League with a nine-point gap on Manchester City, to claim what would be their first league title in over 20 years, with the FA Cup and Champions League also still on the line.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Agbonlahor said: “If I was part of the Premier League and I was making a decision, I would bring in a new rule: you miss the next Premier League game available if you pull out of international duty.
“I tell you something, players will stop pulling out.
The former striker believes England captain, Harry Kane, also has a role in stamping out late withdrawals.
“Playing for your country is an honour,” Agbonlahor continued. “If I’m Harry Kane, I’m speaking about this and saying, ‘Come on, guys, let’s not go back to what we were doing four or five years ago, where players are pulling out non-stop.’
“I’m just not keen on players pulling out of international duty. It’s an honour to play for your country. It doesn’t sit right with me.”
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, it definitely does feel as though international drop-outs become more commonplace in this international break, as the end of the domestic season draws near.
However, Tuchel was strong in those players’ defences when asked recently, saying that England’s medical team had checked them out and their concerns were genuine.
The will for the Premier League to regulate the situation is likely limited, however, as they gain little from players staying with their national teams for longer.
Agbonlahor’s new rule could work in theory, but the league organisers likely have enough on their plate without devising a whole new strand of disciplinary action.
