“We know all the English players in the league, strengths, weaknesses,” said Southgate, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“I think we assess someone on the way we want to play, in terms of temperament, some of our finest players have more red cards than any people, we can’t pick players on whether they might get booked, that’s not the primary way we pick players.
“Does their personality fit into the group, do they fit into our style of play.”
Magpies supporters were not thrilled with the reasons Southgate provided for the midfielder’s brutal snub and let the 47-year-old know about it in no uncertain terms on Twitter.
One fan tweeted that Southgate was just lying about the reasons why Shelvey was staying at home this summer, while another called out the manager for his constant attempts to avoid talking about the creative midfielder.
The 26-year-old midfielder hasn’t featured for England in the last three years but after impressing in his 32 outings this season, Magpies fans hoped he would get a deserved call-up.
