Gareth Southgate accused of ‘English arrogance’ for his failure to call up Arsenal attacker

Former United States forward Eric Wynalda believes England manager Gareth Southgate's arrogance caused them to miss out on Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun.

The 21-year-old striker recently decided to represent the United States at the international level after failing to get a chance with the England national team.

Balogun, who is currently on loan at Reims from Premier League club Arsenal, has been in top form this season. In 35 appearances in Ligue 1, he has scored 20 goals and provided three assists.

Speaking on The Action Network, Wynalda claimed that it was just 'English Arrogance' that saw Balogun opt for USMNT over England. He blasted Gareth Southgate and said (via Daily Mirror):

"Gareth Southgate has certainly made some missteps here with his comments about the talented American playing in France. Southgate said: 'We can't just hand out international opportunities to a player simply because we don't want them to play for somebody else'. Whoops - If he could take that one back now I think he would."

Eric Wynalda claimed that the England manager had underestimated the 21-year-old's ability. He added:

"Southgate has completely underestimated Folarin's ability and tried to shrug it off. Sorry, but there are times where English arrogance needs to be illuminated and this is one of them."

Balogun played for the United States U18 side, but then played for England from 2018 for their U18, U20 and U21 sides.

Arsenal still keeping tabs on Balogun despite Gareth Southgate ignoring him

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta revealed earlier this year that they are keeping an eye on their loanee. He wants the striker to continue flourishing in the Ligue 1 and not think about anything else until the summer.

Arteta was quoted by the club's official website, saying:

"He's a boy that has a really clear idea of what he wants to do with his career. He's really ambitious, really committed and really brave. We discussed a lot before he made that move whether it was the right place to go and the other choices he had. He was so convinced. I'm really happy for him because he deserves what he's getting. When you look at the numbers and what he is doing, it's just incredible. It's very rare to see that. But he's got something special, that's why we decided to give him a long-term contract and have faith in him."

Gareth Southgate has decided to stay as the England manager and is expected to remain in charge until EURO 2024.