West Ham manager David Moyes believes Jarrod Bowen should be handed an England call-up based on his current form.
The 25-year-old winger has been a standout performer for the Hammers this season, recently netting a brace against Norwich in a routine 2-0 victory to move the club back into the Premier League top four.
His double against the Canaries means he has now matched his overall tally from last season (eight goals across all competitions) after only 30 games, but it has not just been his output in front of goal that has caught the eye.
Only Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah (both nine) have registered more assists in the Premier League this season than Bowen (seven), who is now the division’s joint-fourth most productive player in the final third.
Bowen’s 12 direct goalscoring contributions (five goals, seven assists) puts him only behind Salah (25, 16 goals and nine assists), teammate Michail Antonio (13, eight goals and five assists) and Emmanuel Dennis of Watford (eight goals and five assists).
Beyond the metrics, though, Bowen has simply been an eye-pleaser for West Ham fans this term, consistently making use of possession, taking full-backs on with relish and driving the team forward, with his darting runs key to the way Moyes sets his side up to break with pace.
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Given his form, Moyes believes Declan Rice should not be the only player heading to St George’s Park when Gareth Southgate announces his next England squad, backing Bowen to receive a debut call-up if he can maintain his current stride.
“When players come from the Championship you hope they will develop and Jarrod has taken to it really well,” said Moyes.
“Now the biggest thing is that he’s added assists and he’s beginning to find the net again. It’s great we’re spreading the goals around and he’s made a big difference.
“When you look at the competition for England; Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho – it’s a decision for Gareth Southgate.
“But he’s getting closer to people saying we should have a look at him and see what he can do. I don’t think he’ll be too far away, but the biggest thing is to keep playing well for West Ham.”