THE pain of missing out on the last World Cup has never quite subsided, but Jarrod Bowen insists he is trying to ignore the looming threat of Friday’s England squad cull ahead of the Euros.

Bowen is part of the 33-man training squad that was selected by Gareth Southgate last month, and played for the full 90 minutes of Monday’s friendly win over Bosnia at St James’ Park.

However, before midnight on Friday, Southgate has to submit a final 26-man squad to UEFA, meaning seven players will miss out on a place at the Euros in Germany.

Bowen is one of a number of players battling for an attacking-midfield spot in the final group, and the West Ham forward has previous experience of being on the wrong side of the cut-off line.

In 2022, he was expected to be part of the squad for the autumn World Cup in Qatar, having played in England’s Nations League matches in the previous summer, but instead, he found himself fielding a call from Southgate telling him he had not been selected. Unsurprisingly, he is desperately hoping the experience is not repeated this week.

“I just want to come here and play my football, do what I know I can do and have been doing at club level, especially this season,” said Bowen. “For me, it’s trying to play my game to the best of my ability and let everything take care of itself.

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“I take it head on. I’ve been in positions before with squads. Now, I feel at bit more mature as a player, I’ve had a few more opportunities and gained confidence from it. I take every challenge head on. That’s when I’m at my best, playing with no fear.”

Bowen’s versatility could be the key to his inclusion in the squad that will travel to Germany. He has spent most of his time with West Ham in a wide-attacking position, but could also play as the central striker if anything was to happen to Harry Kane.

“The striking options that we have here are elite,” he said. “You look at Harry, Ollie (Watkins) and Ivan (Toney). I know my position. I’ve played out on the wing all my career – the competition with strikers here is with some of the best.”