West Ham United boss David Moyes hopes Jarrod Bowen is on his way back to top form as Gareth Southgate prepares to name his England squad.
Southgate will announce his Three Lions squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine this Thursday afternoon, with both fixtures scheduled to take place on March 23 and 26 respectively.
Although, after missing out on the World Cup in Qatar and given his dip in form for the Hammers this season, it would be a surprise to see Bowen’s name on the list, despite an improvement in form of late with two goals against Everton and assists against Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
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The 26-year-old has been a key figure for West Ham in the last few years, with his goals spearheading the club to consecutive top seven finishes in the Premier League. But the winger has struggled to recapture that form this season, contributing just four goals and three assists in 26 Premier League games.
With the Hammers fighting to avoid relegation and with just 24 goals scored in 26 matches, Moyes admits they have missed Bowen’s regular contribution in front of goal. However, the West Ham boss is hopeful that after a “little dip” Bowen is on his way back to his best after praising the winger for his performance in Sunday’s draw against Aston Villa.
“I thought Sunday was Jarrod’s best game for a long time. He played really well. He attacked people - took them on the inside and outside, got to the byline - and he did an awful lot of good things,” said Moyes ahead of West Ham’s Europa Conference League round of 16 second leg fixture against AEK Larnaca later this evening.
“Jarrod’s been a little bit behind but it’s not unexpected. He’s had a couple of years in the Premier League, pushed on and had a little bit of a dip. I’m hoping he’s on his way back into top form.
“He’s so important to us as a goalscorer because we see him as a wide player who creates but also as an inside forward who can get a few goals as well. His goals have been crucial over the past few years and we’ve missed them to be honest.
“We’ve wanted to show real belief in him because on his day he can be a game changer, he has a goal in him, which we’ve been lacking for most of the season.
“All those parts of his game are things we hope he can produce todau. He produced it on Sunday. Not many chances fell to him but he was the one who was most attack-minded and the biggest threat for us in the game.”
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