Jarrod Bowen is looking forward to carrying his strong Club form onto the international scene over the coming days, after helping West Ham United to a 1-1 draw at home to Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday.
The Hammers stretched their unbeaten top-flight run to four games against the fourth-placed Villans, with Michail Antonio’s first-half header being cancelled out by Nicolò Zaniolo with eleven minutes to go.
A late, lengthy VAR check prevented the Hammers taking the full share of the spoils when Tomáš Souček was penalised for handball, but Bowen preferred to focus on the positives rather than dwell on what might have been.
The 27-year-old is hoping to add to his five England caps having joined up with the Three Lions for friendlies against Brazil and Belgium ahead of UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, with the first clash against the Samba stars set to get underway at Wembley at 7pm on Saturday.
“There were frustrations in the Villa game, but it’s important to keep a level head and focus on what we can control, and overall it was a positive week for us,” said Bowen.
“In the Premier League we’ve now gone four games unbeaten, and we’ve come off a really good win against SC Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League and got a draw against a strong Aston Villa side in what was always going to be a tough game.
“Personally, I feel in a really good place. I feel my consistency levels have been strong this year, and I’m excited to get involved with England again and show everyone what I’ve got.
“It’s the last international break before the Euros in the summer, so it’s a big opportunity to impress. There are a lot of brilliant players competing for places, so I just have to do what I can in these games and maintain the mindset that’s got me here.
“I’ve been picked because of my Club form, so I just want to embrace it, take any opportunities I get and then when I’m back just try to keep performing consistently in the remainder of the season.”
On the Club scene, Bowen has scored 18 goals in 37 outings in all competitions during 2023/24, including the second in the aforementioned Europa League 5-0 thrashing of Freiburg earlier this month, that saw him become West Ham’s leading European scorer.
Such a victory earned the Irons a quarter-final tie against German Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen in April, and the Herefordshire native is hopeful another strong individual showing on the continent can aid both his and the team’s burgeoning ambitions.
Bowen added: “Leverkusen are probably one of the best sides left in the Europa League, but if you want to be successful you have to beat the best, and we’ll go into the two games with a lot of confidence.
“We’ve gained lots of experience in Europe over the last three seasons, including this one, which will hopefully stand us in good stead. In the league we’re competing to qualify for Europe for a fourth season in a row, so there’s lots to play for on every front and it’s going to be a really exciting few months.”
