Owen praises Bowen after impressive England debut

Michael Owen praised Jarrod Bowen after the West Ham star impressed on his England debut.

Gareth Southgate’s side lost 1-0 to Hungary in the Nations League clash in Budapest and were below par, but Bowen caught the eye on his first international appearance, particularly in the first half.

And former England striker Owen liked what he saw of the Hammers forward, who has enjoyed an excellent season for his club.


Speaking on Channel 4, Owen said: “I think he can be proud of his England debut, I really do.

“He didn’t score but he did virtually everything else. He was the one likeliest to score, let’s say.”

Bowen had an early shot blocked after combining nicely with Harry Kane and later saw a volley saved after being found by Harry Maguire’s ball over the top.

Owen added: “He played quite close to Harry Kane and he was trying to make those runs and he was coming inside a lot of the time.

“He makes things happen and I thought he had energy, didn’t look nervous at all and was a constant thorn in the side.

“It was just frustrating that he couldn’t turn one of those half-chances into a goal.”