Salah, Gusto and Other Premier League Stars Overlooked for National Team Invitations

Salah, Gusto and Other Premier League Stars Overlooked for National Team Invitations

Elijah Odetokun
March 15, 2024 at 3:43 PM
In this article:
Mohamed Salah logo
M. Salah
Liverpool logoFEgypt logo
Malo Gusto logo
M.Gusto
Chelsea logoDFrance logo
Axel Disasi logo
A.Disasi
Chelsea logoDFrance logo
Ross Barkley logo
R. Barkley
Aston Villa logoMEngland logo
Raheem Sterling logo
R.Sterling
Chelsea logoFEngland logo
Dominic Solanke logo
D. Solanke
Bournemouth AFC logoFEngland logo
England logo
England
England
26
France logo
France
France
25
Egypt logo
Egypt
Egypt
27
Chelsea logo
Chelsea
England
61
Liverpool logo
Liverpool
England
45
Bournemouth AFC logo
Bournemouth AFC
England
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Luton Town logo
Luton Town
England
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  • Arsenal star Ben White rejected England's national team call-up
  • Mohamed Salah was left out of the Egypt national team squad
  • Chelsea star Malo Gusto is a surprise omission for France

Arsenal star Ben White is probably the most talked about international player after he turned down England's national team call-up for the March friendlies against Belgium and Brazil.

Gareth Southgate confirmed it was the player's decision not to be included and communicated it through Arsenal sporting director Edu Gaspar last week.

Mohamed Salah, Egypt, AFCON 2023, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde.
Mohamed Salah watched Egypt draw 2-2 with Cape Verde at AFCON 2023. Photo by Franck Fife/AFP.
Source: Getty Images

The manager claimed he would have been included if he had not wanted to be left out, but some other Premier League stars have been omitted, and it raised questions.

Sports Brief looks at the top six players omitted from the national team in March.

PL stars omitted from national teams

1. Mohamed Salah

The Liverpool winger injured his hamstring at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. He has only recently returned to full fitness and completed his first 90 minutes in the 6-1 win over Sparta Praha. Per The Athletic, he was left out of the Egypt squad for March's friendlies at the request of the Merseyside club.

2. Malo Gusto

The French right-back has been sensational for Chelsea in his first season, deputising brilliantly in place of injured captain Reece James. Didier Deschamps left him out of Les Bleus' squad, but Thierry Henry drafted him to the U21 team.

3. Axel Disasi

Disasi has been ever-present for Chelsea this season and is the only player to be available for selection for all games. He has been the defence's leader in the absence of Thiago Silva. He and Gusto were called up in October due to injuries to Jules Kounde and Dayot Upamechano.

4. Ross Barkley

Southgate overlooked the former Chelsea man despite his form for Luton Town this season. Many fans have claimed he deserved a call-up ahead of Jordan Henderson, who was in Saudi Arabia and returned to Europe with Ajax in January.

5. Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling has yet to feature for England since the end of the 2022 World Cup. Per Goal, Southgate claimed he did not want to alter the team's momentum, so he was left out in November, but the door remains open for him.

6. Dominic Solanke

His omission isn't surprising as he had not featured for the Three Lions since 2017 after a 15-minute debut against Brazil. Solanke has scored 15 league goals this year but was overlooked for Ivan Toney, who returned to action in January after an eight-month betting ban.

Players who declined national team calls

Sports Brief reported on five players who declined national team call-ups after White rejected England's call-up for the March international friendlies, as confirmed by the manager.

The Arsenal star was not the first to decline the Three Lions. During his days at Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham he asked to be left out during a break.

Authors
Elijah Odetokun photo
Elijah Odetokun
Elijah Odetokun is Reuters-trained journalist with three years of experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria, OmaSports and El Futbolero.