Bowen: I have to take my hat off to myself
AS he attempts to settle into his first England camp, Jarrod Bowen has been taking the time to reflect on his footballing journey.
The former Hull City forward received his first call-up for England earlier this month and he’ll be hoping to catch Gareth Southgate’s eye enough in training to win a cap as England take on Italy, Germany and Hungary twice.
Bowen, though, who has stood out on a regular basis while wearing a West Ham United shirt in the Premier League this season, has taken an unconventional route to the top.
The 25-year-old started his career with Hereford United before moving to East Yorkshire when the Bulls were expelled from the Conference in 2014.
He only earned his top flight break in 2020, making the switch to east London to join up with David Moyes’ Hammers from City and he hasn’t looked back since.
“[It seemed] a million miles away,” Bowen said, when asked about his Hereford days and his England aspirations at the time.
“It was Conference football, I played for my local team and that was it.
“Obviously I had dreams but you don’t think of someone from Hereford to get a move to Hull in the first place, I was just playing for my local team and playing week in, week out in the Conference.
“Sometimes I look back at where I’ve come from and especially being in the England camp now, without sounding big headed, I have to take my hat off to myself for where I’ve come from to where I am now.”
Bowen has been called up to feature in the Nations League, but the World Cup is fast approaching and with Southgate potentially starting to piece together a squad for Qatar, he’ll be doing all he can to put himself in the picture.
“Of course I’ve thought about it, but this is my first camp and for me it’s not about wanting to come and go, it’s about wanting to show what I’m about and cementing my place here,” he said. “I think that’s my main message for myself.
“I’ve got to respect it’s my first camp but my main aim is to show what I’m about and respect that I’m here on merit.”
He added: “I’m just honoured to be here and be in the conversation with the names I’m playing with.
“It just goes to show that I’ve done something right this season and there’s still plenty more improvement to come from me as well.”