West Ham fans had to wait until the 59th minute of England’s 5-0 win away to Latvia to catch a glimpse of Jarrod Bowen.
The Hammers captain was introduced as a substitute for Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, and once again looked sharp. He did his World Cup chances no harm at all by setting up Ebere Eze for the Three Lions’ final goal.
Bowen won a 50/50 ball in midfield before driving forward and biding his time as Eze sprinted into position. But it wasn’t just his part in the goal that would have impressed England boss Thomas Tuchel.
Impressing Tuchel on Multiple Fronts
Bowen was always looking to create, link up with teammates, drift into goalscoring positions and was even put on free-kick duty at one point.
Probably the best thing that can be said about Bowen is that, during all of his appearances under England’s German boss, he hasn’t looked out of place.
That said, it will become more difficult once Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke are available, but Bowen’s versatility could be a major factor when Tuchel selects his final World Cup squad.
For now, Bowen is doing his chances of a summer call-up no harm at all — and perhaps most importantly, it looks like Tuchel likes him.
Bowen reminds me of Trevor Sinclair – could have done a job for England but too many others just in front of him.
As a West Ham fan, I can give many reasons to include Bowen on the trip to USA 2026, but as a neutral I would have to say it is unlikely. He does not get enough time on the pitch to show his full potential, so when he does get on, he needs to score. One goal in 19 appearances is not going to do it. I think he is a better prospect for England than some of the more popular journalist choices like Rashford, but he needs a stand out performance or two to seal the deal.