Michael Owen and Jordan Nobbs love what Jarrod Bowen did for West Ham United this season
Michael Owen has admitted to being surprised by Jarrod Bowen’s West Ham season after he went to a ‘totally different level’ to earn an England debut.
Bowen was named in the England starting lineup to face Hungary [June 4] after notching 12 goals and ten assists in the Premier League during the 2021/22 campaign to help the Hammers to a seventh place finish.
But Owen and former Arsenal women’s winger Jordan Nobbs were speaking on Channel 4 ahead of the game and couldn’t sing his praises enough, with Nobbs calling him a ‘nightmare’ for defenders.
“It’s very special because he hasn’t played for any of the youth teams for England, so this really is the first time he’s got those Three Lions on his chest,” Owen said. “He’ll be nervous.
“He’s had such a good season. Not that many players that all of a sudden just change in their mid-20’s and just become an unbelievable player.
“Don’t get me wrong he’s always been good, but this season he’s gone to a totally different level. I love the way he moves from out to in.
“We’re seeing that run so many times in the Premier League and international football in general, that out to in run. We see it with Mo Salah at Liverpool, it’s a real difficult run to try and get somebody offside but also to defend.”
Nobbs was in agreement and claimed that run was key to him getting so many goals and assists this season.
“He’s honestly a nightmare for defenders,” she said.
“You think about a winger being high and wide, waiting for the ball. No, he’s on his toes making runs between defenders and instead of being out wide he’s through in on goal to get a shot off.
“It’s a difficult run to do that and he’s gone, and that’s exactly why he’s scored 12 goals this season and got ten assists because he’s making those types of runs.”
Amazing
Bowen has had a tremendous campaign and it’s great to see him finally get to pull on that England shirt, having missed out on his opportunity in March through injury.
But the winger fought back to fitness and got straight back into form to end the season strongly and prove to Gareth Southgate that he deserved his place in the squad.
With just five more games remaining between now and the World Cup in Qatar in November, Bowen has to make as much impact as he can to ensure he’s still in the squad at the end of the year.
With so much competition for places, especially in those attacking areas, Bowen can’t afford to slow down and he should take all this praise with a pinch of salt to not get complacent and stay hungry.
Next season he’ll continue as one of the main men for David Moyes at the London Stadium and that should give him the platform to keep going at this level.
In other West Ham news, Hammers must take a £25m gamble this summer on transfer target that is far from a sure thing
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