Southgate names Bamford as England striking option beyond Kane

Add as preferred source on Google

Patrick Bamford was called up for England after Euro 2020 but injury has ruled him out of Gareth Southgate’s most recent squad.

Bamford made his England debut against Andorra in September, but was substituted on 62 minutes, with England struggling to build on their 1-0 lead.

His campaign has been impacted by fitness problems and that has seen the likes of Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham rise back above him in the striking pecking order.

But at his pre-match press conference (BBC) before of the friendly clash with Ivory Coast tonight, Southgate named Bamford as a striking alternative to Harry Kane ahead of the World Cup.

“We have got Ollie with us this time,” he said.

“Also we need to find out a bit more about our centre forwards and what those options might look like beyond Harry Kane.

“At the moment I’d have to say that’s wide open. Dominic Calvert-Lewin had an excellent couple of games for us in October 2020, but hasn’t established himself this season.

“Patrick Bamford has had a season full of injury. Tammy has had a very good season for goalscoring and it’s disappointing not to have him with us to see.”

Southgate’s words should be encouraging for Bamford; neither his underwhelming debut or his injury problems appear to have counted against him too much.

Bamford looks set to miss the rest of the season unless he can come back from injury more quickly than anticipated.

But a strong start to the following campaign could have him in contention for the World Cup, with none of Southgate’s alternative striking options nailed on to go to Qatar.

Marcus Rashford’s struggles are also a boost for Bamford. Rashford was a wide option in the summer, who could also play up front, but without him, Southgate may take three out-and-out strikers so he is not left short.