Eddie Howe insists Callum Wilson is ‘still an international player’ despite current form

Eddie Howe says Callum Wilson’s England career remains alive despite his downturn in form post World Cup.

The Newcastle striker has scored just once for club and country since winning a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad for Qatar in November.

The England boss is set to name his latest squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, and Wilson has today’s home fixture against Wolves to prove his worth.

He used the motivation of a World Cup call-up during the early part of the season, scoring six times in nine matches. The 31-year-old has looked a shadow of that player in recent months, leaving his England involvement in doubt.

But Howe says Wilson retains the belief in himself to rediscover his very best form.

Eddie Howe says Callum Wilson’s England career remains alive despite his downturn in form

The Newcastle striker has scored just once for club and country since the World Cup in Qatar

The England boss is set to name his latest squad for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine, and Wilson has today’s home fixture against Wolves to prove his worth

‘Callum has an incredible mindset, he is pushing himself all the time,’ said the Newcastle head coach. ‘In your playing career, you are going to have good spells and bad spells, but you need that inner belief that you are the best, and I think Callum has got that.

‘I know his World Cup dream was very strong in his mind and he used it as a big motivational tool. But Callum has always been about more than that. It’s not just short-term targets. He has this vision that he wants to be the best in his field. He is well motivated on every level.

‘I don’t see that (the World Cup) as being a big down from that experience. If anything, it was a big high. It left him wanting more. I would say international football is still a big driver for him. I see him as an international player and I want that for him’

Meanwhile, Howe has been left short in midfield following the departure of Jonjo Shelvey to Nottingham Forest in January and the two-match suspension for Joelinton.

‘We are light in midfield,’ he said, before addressing the loss of Shelvey. ‘I don’t think it was a risk I took, it was a decision I didn’t want to take. It wasn’t a premeditated decision by me to take that risk. It was 99 percent out of my hands that Jonjo was going to leave.

‘We are left with a bit of a hole without his presence, but it’s happened and now we have to make the best out of the situation.’

Wilson’s (right) dreams came true when he was selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar