SAM ALLARDYCE HAS revealed a failed attempt to hand Steven N’Zonzi an England call-up.
The new national team head coach is set to announce his first squad selection ahead of the Three Lions’ opening World Cup 2018 qualifier against Slovakia and explored the possibility of a including the former Blackburn and Stoke City man.
However one France Under-21 cap, a 32-minute cameo against Malta in October 2009, ruled N’Zonzi ineligible to represent England despite completing the five-year residency in the country.
“We did have a call, and it would have been of interest for me,” Allardyce he reporters. “We did explore it, but it was impossible, and it’s dead now.
“Steven is very good, he never got the credit that he deserves because of his size.
“Being too big can be a hindrance to a footballer because [people] think their feet are not as clever and they’re not as mobile or sharp.”
Allardyce brought the 27-year-old to the Premier League in 2009, signing him while manager at Blackburn. N’Zonzi currently plys his trade at Sevilla in La Liga.
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