West Ham will host Kieran McKenna's Ipswich Town at the London Stadium this weekend in an important home fixture before the international break. After this seventh Premier League matchday, several West Ham stars will represent their national teams in the ongoing UEFA Nations League and 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers over the next two weeks. Also, the focus will remain on the England national team as they are playing in their first international tournament under new manager Lee Carsley.
Under Carsley, England have started their Group B matches on a high note, taking two wins against Republic of Ireland and Finland last month. Recently, the UEFA Euro 2024 runners-up revealed their squad for the upcoming two group stage matches and made a surprising change in their matchday squad. The England national team has decided to omit West Ham star forward and captain Jarrod Bowen from their squad, who is one of the four changes made by Lee Carsley with Chelsea winger Noni Madueke replacing him.
West Ham star omitted from England's Nations League squad
While Bowen hasn't played much for England in their first two matches, this decision signifies his inconsistent performances in the new Premier League season. West Ham have been collectively underwhelming this season, and Bowen has also been far from his level best despite being the Hammers top-scorer this season with three goals across all competitions. Moreover, West Ham's decision to make him the club captain has added more responsibility on him apart from his role as a prolific right-winger.
On top of that, manager Julen Lopetegui has played Bowen as a centre-forward in the recent matches in Fullkrug’s absence, which isn't his preferred position. Thus, both Bowen and West Ham are struggling in the new season and recently, former Hammers captain Nigel Reo-Coker also talked about West Ham's shortcomings in defence as well as the attack highlighting leadership as a big issue in Julen Lopetegui's side.
Thus, Bowen will stay with West Ham during the international break and will aim to return to his prolific goalscoring form with massive upcoming games against Tottenham Hotspurs and Manchester United in the Premier League.