England manager Gareth Southgate has heaped praise on to West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen after finally including him in his latest Three Lions squad.
Bowen has been in fine form for West Ham for some time now, but has been surprisingly overlooked time and time again when it comes to getting into the England set-up.
It’s clear Southgate is an admirer of the 25-year-old, praising his consistency this season and admitting he would’ve called him up earlier if not for an injury problem he had earlier in the year.
See the graphic below for the latest England squad in full…
Confirming your #ThreeLions squad for our upcoming #NationsLeague fixtures! ?
— England (@England) May 24, 2022
And see below for Southgate’s comments when asked about Bowen and his journey to the top, which serves as a reminder that not all players need to come through elite academies early in their careers in order to make it at the highest level later on…
Southgate on Bowen: "Consistently strong performances, were thinking about involving him in March before he got injured. Journey is really interesting. Reminder you don't need to come through elite academy." #WHUFC
— Mark Mann-Bryans (@MarkyMBryans) May 24, 2022
Bowen started his career at Hereford United, and later made a name for himself at Hull City before becoming even more well established with his eye-catching performances at West Ham.
It will be intriguing to see what Bowen can now achieve at international level.