Callum Wilson has begun the new Premier League season in the best manner possible to secure a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad. The Newcastle United number nine scored in his side’s two-nil win over Nottingham Forest to further heighten the debate over his international career.
Very few doubt Wilson’s talent but rather his ability to stay fit long enough to score enough goals to secure a seat on the plane to Qatar. Speaking to The Everything is Black and White Podcast prior to the game against Forest, BBC 5 Live’s Ian Dennis, shared his view on Wilson’s England chances.
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“That's going to be one of his aims,” he said, “but I think the way that England plays now, it'll be very, very hard for him to get back into that World Cup squad. He’ll really have to hit the ground running only because if you're looking at a 26-man squad, Gareth Southgate may only take four out-and-out strikers and at the minute, Callum Wilson because of his injuries, and the fact that he hasn't really been with England squad on a regular basis is a little bit further down the pecking order.
“ Wilson has got to hit the ground running in order to try and force himself back into the reckoning for replacing Qatar.”
The previous England squad included only two out-and-out strikers in Harry Kane and Tammy Abraham - and with Marcus Rashford out of form, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin injured, Wilson if he can stay fit may have a clear run at securing a place.
The Magpies are still in the market for a new striker and Dennis believes bringing someone into help share the burden of goals with Wilson will be a big plus. “It's one of the areas I think that they're looking to try and strengthen isn't it because it takes the pressure off Callum Wilson.
“His injury record is obviously a bit of a concern but I think when he's fit, he will score the goals. If you don't score 40 goals in a season as a club, you're going to be struggling, you're going be there or thereabouts down in the relegation zone. But if you then can get a regular goal scorer, proven goalscorer who's going to get you maybe 15 plus in the top flight, you can then be looking upwards.
“Callum Wilson without a shadow of a doubt if he stays fit has more than got that ability to score those 15 goals to try and propel Newcastle towards the top half of the table. If Newcastle United can bring somebody in with a proven pedigree in order to either play alongside him or support him, then that's very much a target they will look to try and accomplish.”
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