Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto has criticised the fact that England have not selected Tammy Abraham for the FIFA World Cup.
Abraham and Brentford’s Ivan Toney have not made it to Gareth Southgate’s squad for the World Cup. While Abraham has had an underwhelming season, Toney has impressed and even scored a brace to help his side beat Manchester City yesterday.
Before Roma’s game against Torino though, Tiago Pinto spoke to DAZN (via TMW) and he was asked about Abraham’s exclusion from the Three Lions’ squad. The Giallorossi sporting director believes that a call-up to the national team should not be justified by what a player is doing for the club.
He stated: “A call-up to the national team cannot be justified with what happens at the club. We are satisfied with Abraham, thinking that he can improve. If Abraham does not go to the World Cup because he scored less, then Smalling should be the starter. We do not say anything about the national teams, but I do not justify talking about what the boys do with Roma to justify a call-up which may or may not arrive.”
Abraham has scored only three Serie A goals this season – a farcry from the impressive campaign he had during the 2021/22 term. He has underperformed massively on Expected Goals, scoring only three times from an Xg of 6, state FBRef.
Last season, the Englishman had scored 17 Serie A goals and 14 of them were non-penalty goals, while also getting four assists.
Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN
