England’s provisional squad for Euro 2020 has been announced, and perhaps the most notable absentee was Leeds’ Patrick Bamford.
Indeed, the Leeds striker was the second-highest scoring Englishman in the Premier League this season, yet, he was left at home by Gareth Southgate, despite the fact the Three Lions boss named an extended 33-man squad.
Bamford missing out on a traditional 23-man squad would be understandable, but to miss out on a 33-man longlist is almost unbelievable after netting 17 Premier League goals, and it’s left Bamford with a decision to make.
The striker is also eligible to represent the Republic of Ireland at international level, and after this latest snub, that’s an avenue he may want to explore.
If you’re not getting in a 33-man England squad at this point in your career after what may end up being the best season you ever produce, the reality is, you may never be selected.
England have a great crop of strikers at the moment. Harry Kane, Mason Greenwood, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Calvert-Lewin were all picked ahead of him on this occasion, and that’s before you even begin to mention the likes of Danny Ings, Tammy Abraham and Callum Wilson who’ve also all had international call-ups.
Switching allegiances would give Bamford a much clearer path into international football as the Irish striker scene is much less competitive these days.
We’ve already seen a striker benefit from a similar move over the past 12 months. Che Adams is heading the Euros with Scotland after changing his allegiances, and now he’s going to play in front of thousands of fans and with the eyes of the world on him, while Bamford is forced to stay at home wishing it was him.
Bamford now has a massive decision to make, does he back himself and continue to push for a spot in the England squad? Or does he switch to Ireland, probably sacrificing the chance of ever winning an international trophy, and realise the dream of playing international football?
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