Tammy Abraham looked a shoo-in for the England squad at World Cup 2022 at the end of the 2021/22 campaign, having scored 27 goals in 53 games across all competitions for Roma as he also picked up the Europa Conference League trophy with the Giallorossi.
However, a poor start to the new season ultimately meant he lost his place in the 26-man team, the delayed tournament scuppering his chances of appearing at the World Cup.
Indeed, Gareth Southgate opted for Callum Wilson as the back-up to Harry Kane, and Abraham has now told FourFourTwo what the England manager told him when breaking the unfortunate news.
“He gave me a call the day before the group was announced,” Abraham tells FFT. “He said I’d hit the wrong form at the wrong time; that it would be unfair not to take the players he’s taking because they’ve been performing well.
"It was just about me getting back to where I was and trying to be in the next squad. I kind of knew in the back of my head already. I wasn’t at a stage where I was full of confidence or banging in goals, so I was sort of expecting it, but it’s obviously not nice to hear those things.”
Abraham never really had a chance to showcase his talent for England in the build-up to World Cup 2022, though. While Southgate included him in the squad for the UEFA Nations League fixtures in June and September, Abraham only played 65 minutes in total across the six games, during the 0-0 draw with Italy.
After being left out of the Qatar tournament at the end of 2022, Abraham then failed to make the latest England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.
The Roma striker admits it's harder to break into the England team while playing away from the Premier League, but it's something he understands when asked about it.
"I think that’s just normal in life,” Abraham explains. “The Premier League is a league that English people are so familiar with, as it’s live on TV. Serie A matches aren’t shown as much.
" I don’t remember watching a lot of Serie A when I was living in England. It’s difficult. You have to keep doing well, get people to talk about you more, then maybe you’ve got a chance.”
