Soccer-West Ham's Bowen says career-best form behind England recall

Soccer Football - International Friendly - England Press Conference - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - October 10, 2023 England's Jarrod Bowen during the press conference Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

BURTON-UPON-TRENT, England (Reuters) - West Ham United forward Jarrod Bowen has used the disappointment of being left out of England manager Gareth Southgate's 2022 World Cup squad as a major motivation that has got him playing the "best football" of his career and back with the Three Lions.

The 26-year-old, who is in England's squad for Friday's friendly against Australia and a European Championship qualifier against Italy next Tuesday at Wembley, earned all four of his England caps in the build-up to Qatar, making his omission from the squad all the more painful.