Jarrod Bowen: ‘I know how good I can be – it’s starting to come into place’

Jarrod Bowen’s superb form this season – eight goals and eight assists – has given West Ham a chance of securing a Champions League place. Photograph: Elli Birch/IPS/Shutterstock

Jarrod Bowen is used to setbacks. The West Ham winger almost gave up on his dream of becoming a professional footballer after an unsuccessful trial at Cardiff when he was 16 and the Premier League felt a long way away when he went six months unpaid at non-league Hereford. “The journey I’ve been on, nearly giving up and scoring in the Conference and then being at Hull, it’s been a bit crazy when you break it down,” he says.

“I had a lot of obstacles to overcome when I was younger. Anything that comes in my way now, I’m ready to take it on.”