Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce has suggested that Callum Wilson deserves to be included in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the November international break after his strong start to the season.
Wilson has enjoyed a very encouraging start to life at St James’ Park following his £20m move from Bournemouth in the summer. The 28-year-old decided to join the Magpies ahead of Aston Villa to further his ambitions to make it back into the England squad, per Express and Star.
The Englishman has already managed to pick up four caps for his country whilst he was playing for Bournemouth and was a regular in the squad before his form was affected by injuries and the Cherries struggling at the wrong end of the Premier League table last season.
Wilson has already managed to score six goals in his opening seven Premier League matches for the Magpies at a rate of 0.9 goals per game (Sofascore). That form has seen him keep pace with other in-form English strikers including Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Harry Kane, Patrick Bamford and Danny Ings, who is now set to be out of action for around six weeks.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the Magpies’ meeting with Southampton, Bruce insisted that Wilson has done more than enough to earn a return to the England setup. He also lauded the forward’s impact in front of goal so far at St James’ Park, saying:
“It’s hard enough to pick my own team. But given the amount of goals he’s scored he must be in with a shout.
“We are all hoping that Callum gets into the England squad. It would be great recognition for him and Newcastle. Although there’s a bit of me that wants to give him a few days off.
“The most important thing he does is score a goal. I think he’s got three goals from a yard this season, which is an unbelievable knack. You can’t coach that – it’s just that instinct to be in the right place.”
Read Newcastle verdict
Bruce managed to convince Mike Ashley in the summer that the Magpies needed to recruit players with proven Premier League pedigree, and that was instrumental in helping Newcastle bring Wilson to the club ahead of other Premier League sides following Bournemouth’s relegation, per Chronicle Live.
Wilson endured a frustrating season last year for Bournemouth, managing to register just eight league goals and missing ten big chances (Sofascore). That saw him edged out of the England picture by players in better form, and meant he entered the season with a real point to prove for the Magpies.
The 28-year-old must surely be the next player in line to replace Ings in the squad after the latter’s unfortunate injury. There was even a case to be made that he had earned a place in the squad irrespective of other players missing out, so it would be a surprise if he were to miss out on the latest round of internationals.
