No doubt Jarrod Bowen would have been disappointed to miss out on Lee Carsley’s latest England squad. The West Ham captain had been used by the Three Lions’ caretaker manager as a striker replacement for Harry Kane and was unlucky not to score during the September internationals.
However, competition for England places is fierce, and West Ham had not been in excellent form, so perhaps it was no surprise to see the Hammers winger omitted.
But after witnessing the horror show that saw England lose to Greece, followed by the fallout and media scrutiny on Carsley, perhaps Bowen had a lucky escape?
The interim coach’s car-crash interview following the defeat has only heaped more pressure on a group of players struggling in the second division of international football. Wisely, the FA seems to be looking for replacements, with Eddie Howe and Thomas Tuchel both being mentioned, and therefore, I believe Bowen is better off out of it.
He can focus on two weeks of training out of the limelight at West Ham and avoid being associated with Carsley’s botched attempts at tactically shoehorning his best players into the same team.