FORMER ASTON Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor has blamed former Ireland and Villa manager for his exclusion from the England's squad for the U21 European Championships in the 2006/07 season,
Agbonlahor was one England's most exciting prospects at the time and had made his debut for Villa in 2006.
He would score nine goals and appeared in every game for the club that season and receive a call up to England's squad for the U21 European Championships that summer.
Agbonlahor made the British tabloids for failing to turn up for international duty.
Stuart Pearce, the England manager at the time dropped for thinking the midlands forward went AWOL, but speaking on Talksport this morning Agbonlahor set the record straight and said that his former manager was at fault for the fiasco.
🤦♂️ “It was a misunderstanding…” — talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) March 24, 2022
😳 “Martin O’Neill wanted me to rest & forgot to tell Stuart Pearce.”
🏝 “I’m on the beach in Dubai, Pearce is fuming! The news said I’d gone AWOL!”
Gabby Agbonlahor reveals why he missed an England U21 call-up while he was playing for #AVFC 😅 pic.twitter.com/XesJytkWOR
Agbonlahor said O' Neill told him to skip the tournament to rest up after a long season with Villa, but the Northern-Irishman didn't tell Pearce at the time
It was a misunderstanding, `` Agbonlahor admitted."
"I had played every game in my first season for Villa and Martin O'Neill wanted me to rest in the summer and enjoy my summer off."
Knowing Martin as you know him Ally [McCoist], he forgot to tell Stuart Peace. They all attended the start of the tournament at the hotel and I'm not there because
"Pearce is fuming, he is fuming..."
"It was a misunderstanding from the gaffer not telling him. It was all over Sky Sports, breaking news 'Gabby has gone AWOL from the U21s'..."
"It was a misunderstanding, Martin O'Neill is to blame."
The pair worked together after the tournament and seemed to have made up with each other. The pair spent another three years with each other until the O' Neills departure in 2010.
