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Moyes opens up on Bowen heartache

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David Moyes admits Jarrod Bowen will be disappointed to miss out on an England call-up for the Qatarstrophe, but he feels he simply did not manage to match the form of the likes of James Maddison and Conor Gallagher.

The Leicester and Chelsea stars were both selected for the squad, as was Callum Wilson, while Bowen has struggled thus far this season.

He has scored just twice in 14 Premier League games throughout this season and has not matched the heights of last season, when he managed to force his way into Gareth Southgate’s plans.

Moyes feels that Bowen hasn’t matched the trio who have been called up, but he says he can turn his form around and make himself an asset for both club and country in the next few months.

He told reporters: “I’ll tell you what happens after the World Cup. Quite often, there’s a change around of players as well and quite often, I’m not saying everybody changes over because I think England have got quite a young squad in some areas, so Jarrod will have a chance to show (his ability) and you start right away and you start to build up so when there will be international games in the summer time, he’ll be getting himself ready to hopefully have the chance to be selected if possible.

“Jarrod will be disappointed obviously but I think deep down, he probably knew he had to play well in a lot of the games leading up to the team selection and the likes of James Maddison, Callum Wilson, Conor Gallagher have all impressed in the last two or three months.

“I think when you look back at where Jarrod, not the summer gone but the summer before, he spent his summer back in Hereford running through the potato fields he was saying and he came back in incredible condition, he went on to have a really good season. If anything, it was the second half of the season where he scored most of the goals which got him called up for England last season.”

Moyes also says Bowen simply needs the ball to roll his way a little more often.

He added: “I think he could just do with finding a bit [of luck] and sometimes you just need the ball to break a little bit different, things to go for you and get a goal that can give you a bit of confidence or a good assist can help you. I just think we’ve not quite had that.”

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A journalist with 10 years' experience of working on National newspapers, now chief reporter covering the club that I've loved since I was a boy. Upton Park remains the greatest football stadium ever built.