Jarrod Bowen admits being involved in a major tournament with England would be “the pinnacle” of his career as he waits to discover if he will be part of Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for the European Championship.
Boss Southgate has until midnight on Friday to name his final squad for the tournament in Germany and England’s final preparations got under way with a 3-0 win against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a warm-up clash at St James’ Park on Monday night.
They have one more friendly against Iceland on Friday before kicking off their Euro 2024 campaign against Serbia on June 16.
Southgate gave a host of players the opportunity to lay claim for a spot in Monday’s clash, including Bowen, who started the game as his father and brother watched on in the crowd.
The West Ham forward is “trying to impress” when given a chance, and said: “I’m a really family-orientated man – my mum, my dad, my brothers, my sisters, everyone. I had my brother and dad here (at the game). Hereford to Newcastle’s not an hour away, it’s a long old way.
“For me, family is the most important thing and of course it gives you that drive. From where I’ve come from to go to a major tournament would be the pinnacle, but of course there’s a lot that goes into that to get to that stage.
“But for me, when I’m here I’m learning and trying to impress when I get that opportunity.”
Following a quiet start, Bowen began to threaten down the right as he linked up well with Cole Palmer, who scored England’s first goal from the penalty spot before Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane added gloss to the scoreline.
The 27-year-old is one of several forwards named in Southgate’s 33-man training group and knows the competition to start up front for England is incredibly close.
“The striking options we have here are elite, you look at Harry (Kane), Ollie (Watkins), Ivan (Toney) and so on,” Bowen added.
“I know my position, I played out on the wing all my career, maybe that’s a good thing because competition with strikers here is probably one of the best.”
Bowen had another important campaign for the Hammers in the Premier League this season, scoring 16 goals in 34 appearances as they finished ninth, and he is determined to keep playing his own game as he aims to secure a ticket to Germany.
“Speaking personally, I’m here on merit for what I’ve done since I’ve been at West Ham,” he told Sky Sports.
“It’s about finding that balance where, yes you want to impress, but you also don’t want to do too much, you want to play your own game that got you here in the first place.
“For me it’s staying on that path and staying with that mindset.”
