SOUTHGATE CAN’T IGNORE RISE OF COOK

LEWIS COOK lifted the trophy last summer as captain of England’s Under 20 World Cup winners. This summer? Well, he might just sneak into Gareth Southgate’s squad for the real thing. Bournemouth’s midfield man celebrated his 21st birthday with a win, and he has now played in the last seven Premier League games. ‘He’s turning into an integral part of the team,’ said boss Eddie Howe. Stoke were cruising to victory thanks to Xherdan Shaqiri’s early header, but the hosts hit back through Josh King and a first ever Premier League goal for substitute Lys Mousset. Howe added: ‘When we signed Lewis (from Leeds in July 2016) we felt there was a lot of work and development to do but a very talented starting point. ‘He can achieve whatever he wants to from this position when you look at what he has already achieved in such a short time.’ Cook has had a taste of life with the senior England squad, called up by Southgate for the friendlies in November, and Howe added: ‘I would not want to put that pressure on him by talking about the World Cup this year. But if he keeps performing like this for us, then international recognition will be just a natural progression.’