Jarrod Bowen and Ollie Watkins have received invitations back to the England squad under the leadership of Gareth Southgate.
Despite concerns over an injury, Bukayo Saka has also been included in the squad. Both Bowen and Watkins have had impressive starts to the season, with Watkins even scoring a hat-trick against Brighton this past Saturday.
They have left a strong impression on Southgate, earning their places in the squad for upcoming matches against Australia in a week’s time and Italy the following Tuesday. However, Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling have not made the cut.
Watkins is making a return to the squad after an absence since March 2022, while Bowen, who could earn his fifth England cap, was last seen in action during the 4-0 loss to Hungary in June 2022.
Saka’s inclusion is a positive boost for the team, especially since he had injury concerns following his early exit during Arsenal’s recent match against Lens.
On the other hand, Mason Mount is once again absent from the squad, despite his return to action for Manchester United after recovering from a hamstring issue.
Nevertheless, Southgate still faces a challenge in the defence department, as Luke Shaw from Manchester United is still nursing an injury. Kieran Trippier may step in at left-back, given his impressive performance in that role against Scotland in the last outing.
The defensive options have been strengthened with the return of Trent Alexander-Arnold, although he is listed among the midfielders, as he has overcome his hamstring problem.
John Stones from Manchester City is also back in the squad, even though he has not played this season, hoping to get some playing time in the friendly against Australia.
Despite his limited appearances for Manchester United, Harry Maguire retains his place in the squad. Unfortunately, Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze will be unavailable for the next few weeks due to a hamstring injury sustained in a match against United.
Jack Grealish’s return provides Southgate with numerous attacking options, despite Callum Wilson’s injury. England is set to host a double-header at Wembley, starting with a match against Australia. This will be followed by a replay of the Euro 2020 final as Italy returns to the national stadium for a Euro 2024 qualifier.
Regarding Saka’s and Wilson’s injuries, Southgate stated, “He is still being assessed and he obviously have a big game this weekend and then there is another seven days before we play Australia and ten days before we play Italy.”
“Callum Wilson is carrying an injury so we are not sure if he will be fit.”
“Ollie has started the season well and has hit a bit of scoring form in the last couple of weeks although you have to be careful with that in terms of bias on recent games. But he is in good form and is coming in on a high.”
Southgate also addressed the absence of Raheem Sterling, who has missed the last two squads, explaining, “We spoke before the last squad. We have been happy with the wide players in the performances in the last four games and the two in March.”
“The team are playing really well and there is stability there although we have added Jarrod Bowen who has added five goals in seven games.”
Bukayo Saka
Bukayo Saka
EnglandThis season he played in total 7 times for 615 minutes for Premier League.
Bukayo Saka scored 4 goals for Arsenal. He procured one assist. He received 1 yellow card and no red cards.
His team is currently 3rd in Premier League. In the last match Arsenal lost 2-1 against Lens. The next match in Premier League will be against Manchester City.
Arsenal performance and stats
Arsenal is currently 3rd in the Premier League with 17 points.
In the last 7 games, it has won 5 times and drawn twice. In its last match, Arsenal won 0-4 against AFC Bournemouth.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 15 goals and conceding 6.
Arsenal will play the next match in Premier League against Manchester City on Sunday 8th of October in London.
Jarrod Bowen
Jarrod Bowen
West Ham United performance and stats
West Ham United
West Ham United is currently 1st in the Europa League with 3 points.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 3 goals and conceding 1.
West Ham United will play the next match in Europa League against SC Freiburg on Thursday 5th of October in Freiburg im Breisgau. The prediction is West Ham United winning the match.
Ollie Watkins
Ollie Watkins
This season he played in total 3 times for 126 minutes for Europa Conference League.
Ollie Watkins scored 3 goals for Aston Villa. He procured no assists. He received no yellow cards and no red cards.
His team is currently 5th in Europa Conference League. In the last match Aston Villa won 6-1 against Brighton & Hove Albion.
Aston Villa performance and stats
Aston Villa
Aston Villa is currently 4th in the Europa Conference League with 0 points.
In the last 3 games, it has won twice and lost once. In its last match, Aston Villa lost 3-2 against Legia Warszawa.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 2 goals and conceding 3.
Aston Villa will play the next match in Europa Conference League against Zrinjski on Thursday 5th of October in Birmingham. The prediction is Aston Villa winning the match.
Mason Mount
Mason Mount
This season he played in total 3 times for 230 minutes for Premier League.
Mason Mount didn’t score any goal for Manchester United. He procured no assists. He received 1 yellow card and no red cards.
His team is currently 10th in Premier League. In the last match Manchester United lost 3-2 against Galatasaray. The next match in Premier League will be against Brentford.
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United
Manchester United is currently 10th in the Premier League with 9 points.
In the last 7 games, it has won 3 times and lost 4 times. In its last match, Manchester United lost 0-1 against Crystal Palace.
It has a negative goal difference after scoring 7 goals and conceding 11.
Manchester United will play the next match in Premier League against Brentford on Saturday 7th of October in Manchester. The prediction is Manchester United winning the match.
