Shelvey concedes defeat on England call up

Midfielder Shelvey believes that he could have made all the difference in England's semi-final defeat to Croatia in this summer's World Cup, but is doubtful that he will ever earn a recall to the national side in the future. 

26 year old Shelvey was widely regarded as one of the outside candidates to make the squad for the tournament in Russia, as it appeared that England lacked a true number 10 type of player in the middle of the pitch. 

Many people believed Shelvey's omission was of ultimate detriment to the squad, who were undone by Croatian playmaker Luka Modric in the semi-finals of the competition.

Despite making over 200 Premier League appearances, Shelvey has only 6 full international caps; the last of those coming in November 2015, in a friendly match with France. 

And now after being overlooked once more for the recent international matches in September and October, Shelvey believes the door to the England squad is firmly closed for him. 

In an interview with 'The Telegraph', Shelvey spoke of his disappointment over being left out of the travelling squad for the World Cup this past summer, along with giving his thoughts on his international future and club career. 

Shelvey was blunt in his response to questions about his England omission, saying: "I don't really care anymore about being overlooked by England. That's me being honest. I did care, but I've given up on the idea. I'm obviously not his [Southgate's] cup of tea. I've never been told that, but that's the feeling I get." 

The midfielder continued: "In the summer, I thought I had a real good chance. I was checking my phone all the time, that's not a lie, but it wasn't to be. Starting this season, I thought I might get a sniff, just to get a call up into the squad, to be in and around it."

The Newcastle man even claimed that he could have made the difference for England in their semi-final defeat, stating: "I was in Ireland with Newcastle for the Croatia [semi-final] game and you just felt they struggled to make that final pass, to create a chance and I'm sitting there thinking I could have been that man, even if it was just five minutes at the end of the game."

Shelvey concluded by discussing his future with Newcastle, explaining: "My number one priority is to keep Newcastle in the Premier League. If it (England) happens, one day, lovely but if it doesn't…"

It has been rumoured that Shelvey's refusal to join up with the England U21 squad during Southgate's reign was a key reason as to his omission from the senior side when Southgate took over the role full time.

However, the pair had a conversation in the aftermath of this news, in which Southgate denied the allegations, and Shelvey has not spoken to the England boss since.