DON’T FORGET ME, MR SOUTHGATE!

AS IF Gareth Southgate didn’t have enough to consider already, Callum Wilson put himself back on the England radar with a hat-trick.

Given the recent sparkling displays of some of England’s young hopefuls, Southgate has much to ponder ahead of the World Cup. Now Wilson has given him something else to contemplate after his treble capped a return from two years out with injury.

The striker, 25, was on the verge of a call-up from Roy Hodgson two years ago when he struck five goals in his first six league games, only for the ligaments to go in one knee and then after months of rehabilitation, the other went.

One setback of that severity can halt a player’s career — let alone two — but Wilson’s three on Saturday were his first Premier League goals in almost a year. And Howe has backed his man to make it to Russia after spending time with a specialist in America to save his career.

‘It was a big part of his rehab,’ Howe said. ‘I think that was a key period for him. We want to get the player back in the best shape and to minimise the chances of re-injury, which is always heightened if you have suffered an injury in the first place.’

Southgate is open to experimenting with his options up front. After Harry Kane withdrew from the latest friendlies he opted for Marcus Rashford, Jamie Vardy, Tammy Abraham and Dominic Solanke. And Wilson’s treble will have piqued Southgate’s attention at a crucial time.

‘If Callum carries on in this form it’s in his hands,’ Howe said. ‘I’m just happy he’s looking so good and scoring.

‘You do well in a few games and are talked about for England.

‘I know he was very much on their radar before he got injured and rightly so, because his form in the Championship and in the Premier League to that point had been good.

‘Callum will be chomping at the bit. He wants to achieve. He is not here to make up the numbers.’

The goals showed Wilson (right) has his edge back: for the first he lost his marker to head in a corner from close range, for the second he timed his run expertly to convert Andrew Surman’s free-kick and this third was a well-placed finish through a crowd.

This win — with Harry Arter adding a fourth despite Bournemouth playing the second half with 10 men due to Simon Francis’s red card — took Wilson to only 286 minutes of football for the season and Howe says he will improve. ‘It is not the end of the road for Callum,’ he said. ‘He still has a way to go to get back to his best.’