Tim Sherwood has told Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall to 'shut his mouth' and focus on performing for England after the Magpies left-back described the Three Lions shirt as 'heavy'.
Hall, who was left out of Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the recent World Cup campaign, was recalled following his strong start to the summer. He was an unused substitute in the 3-2 defeat to Spain at the weekend, but is expected to feature against Czechia this evening.
Sherwood's criticism
Speaking on Sky Sports, the former Tottenham Hotspur boss criticised Hall's recent comments to reporters, in which the defender discussed representing his country.
"I don't like the honesty," Sherwood said. "I think he should keep his mouth shut when he's talking about heavy shirts because I think the manager is looking at that and thinking 'is it heavy just for him, or is it collectively that it's heavy?'
"Now, if you ask Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane if it's heavy, they'd say 'bring it on, let's get to the next game and I'll show you how good I am.' That's what I want to see from him [Hall]. I like him."
Manager watching every move
Sherwood added that Hall has a "huge future" but must realise the manager is watching his every move, whether in camp, in front of the press or on the pitch.
"When he's on the pitch that's all he's got to do is just perform like he performs for Newcastle, express himself," Sherwood said. "He's good going forward. He's defensively sound as well. I think he's got a really good opportunity to cement that position for himself."
Asked if he found the Three Lions shirt heavy during his playing career, Sherwood said: "No, I just think you get on with it. Even if it does, you just get on with it, don't tell everyone, just get on with it and go and play."
Hall's response
The comments in question referred to Hall's omission from England's World Cup squad. The Newcastle defender said: "There's going to be a sense of disappointment but I'm just looking to use that and bounce back and hopefully I can create a good account of myself here.
"It's a heavy shirt. I mean, you're representing England, one of the best countries in the world. Whenever you step on the pitch, you've got to be at your best. You've got to be doing the right things because there's a lot at stake."
He added: "I think everyone who's in the squad, and even players who aren't in the squad, know how much it means to each other to play for our country. It's always nice competition and I think it's healthy to get the best out of players."
