Being dropped for Sam Allardyce’s England squad was exactly the “kick up the backside” Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain needed.
The Arsenal midfielder, who missed Euro 2016 through injury, was left out of Allardyce’s first and only England squad last month after an indifferent start to the season at club level. Though that has not entirely changed in the past month interim manager Gareth Southgate has offered Oxlade-Chamberlain a reprieve, naming him in the party for matches against Malta and Slovenia.
Injury and loss of form mean Oxlade-Chamberlain has now not put on an England shirt since October 2015 and a 3-0 win over Lithuania but he believes recent disappointments have made him a stronger player.
“It provided a kick up the backside,” Oxlade-Chamberlain said. “I have been playing for England since I was 18 and, while I wouldn’t say I took it all for granted, it just seemed to be a part of my season – to play for Arsenal and to play for England. It was a jolt.
“I am not young now. I am 23, so you need to be performing and playing as much as you can to deserve a chance to go and play for England.
“Being back in the setup makes me realise how special it is.”
The last 12 months have been frustrating for Oxlade-Chamberlain, who has yet to kick on and establish a regular starting place in the Arsenal side.
His manager Arsene Wenger has openly said that he believes the 23-year-old is lacking confidence and self-belief – a fact that Oxlade-Chamberlain himself alluded to in an interview last month.
However Oxlade-Chamberlain believes he is now more able to deal with the frustration of being in and out of the side: “Do I believe in myself? Yeah, of course I do.
“But there’s a lot of external factors in there. How much you play, how you play. But I’ve learnt now to get on with things.”
