Steven N Zonzi s cap for France Under-21s has ruled him out of a place in Sam Allardyce s England squad after the Football Association contacted FIFA about the player s eligibility.
Allardyce, who signed N Zonzi for Blackburn Rover in 2009, admitted the Sevilla midfielder was of interest to his England plans, but the 27-year-old s appearance for France at under-21 level, earned in a match against Belgium in 2009, means he is unavailable.
We did have a call, and it would have been of interest for me, Allardyce told The Guardian. We did explore it, but it was impossible, and it s dead now.
James Milner s retirement from international football after England s disappointing Euro 2016 campaign has made midfield an area of concern for Allardyce, but the Liverpool star has not ruled himself out of a return to the set-up.
James has said he will always be there for us if we want him, said Allardyce. He can t continue to keep traipsing all over Europe without playing. But he will always be there to step in if we need him if there is a crisis with injuries or suspensions.
That is great from my point of view.
