Bowen says there is group of England players which he desperately wants to avoid

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Jarrod Bowen has no intention of being a one-hit wonder with England – as he expressed disbelief that Gareth Southgate could walk away as manager.

The West Ham ace is on a mission to become a permanent fixture in Southgate's squad so he can fulfil his dream of going to a World Cup. Bowen has been one of the few positives to emerge from a woeful Nations League campaign so far.

The attacking midfielder has taken his chance to impress having been called up to the Three Lions squad for the first time. And he hopes his performances keep him in Southgate's thoughts right up until he picks his final squad for Qatar 2022 in the autumn.

Bowen, 25, has vowed not to join a group of England players who only win a handful of caps, and said: "I've loved it, every minute. International football is really new and I am kind of just taking each game as it comes, but I've just tried to do what I have been doing all season. I don't want to say that I've made it. But I think when I came in it was about showing what I am about on the pitch and off the pitch as well as a person. I think I have done that with the game time that I've had.

"You never know if you are going to play or if you're not. I am grateful to play the minutes that I have had. I didn't want to come here and just be in – and then be out of the next one. The message from me is that, I am here and I want to continue playing for my country, because it's the best feeling. For me, I think it would be wrong to say that I don't want to not be involved. I want to be involved in every group now."

Bowen has expressed his dismay at the thought of Southgate talking about leaving the job. The positive play of the West Ham winger has been one of the bright spots of a toothless England Nations League campaign that has had critics questioning whether Southgate is too conservative in his approach ahead of the World Cup. Southgate recently said he would not "outstay my welcome” but Bowen claims that he, like the rest of the squad, don’t want the 51-year-old to go anywhere.

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“100 percent!” Bowen said. “This is only my first camp! He gave me the opportunity to play for my country so I will always be grateful to the manager. To be honest, I don’t get caught up in the outside world because I think you can get caught up in reading a lot of things about you personally, the team as well.

“So I think the main thing is the belief in this group is really high. We know the quality that we’ve got, so it’s not about getting caught up in the outside world. It’s such fine margins in the international game. On another day with the games that we’ve had, we’ve had chances, so we would be coming back off three wins instead of not having a win so far. It’s tight. The group is still very open and we’ve got another game on Tuesday to try to finish strongly.”

• England Football Team
• West Ham FC
• Gareth Southgate
• World Cup

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