England regular Kieran Trippier believes Toon teammate Callum Wilson’s all around play and ability to offer “something completely different” could boost his call-up hopes ahead of the World Cup.
With Gareth Southgate set to cut his 55-man longlist to just 26 next Thursday, Sunday’s trip to Southampton will be Wilson’s last chance to impress the Three Lions boss; who saw him score twice in Saturday’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park.
Trippier believes our number “has everything” as a striker and showcased what he was all about last weekend, praising his “runs in behind” and “hold up play.”
Marcus Rashford’s ability to play wide may appeal to Southgate, while ex-Mag Ivan Toney is another contender in good form, but the former Atletico Madrid star has total belief in Wilson; whose ability to let nothing phase him has also impressed Trippier.
Speaking to NUFC TV, here’s what he had to say about Wilson’s late push for a place on the plane to Qatar:
“Callum is different to the strikers we’ve got. Cal offers something completely different.
“You see (against Aston Villa) with the runs in behind, his hold up play, he has everything.
“Callum’s one of those players where he won’t let stuff get to him. He knows it needs to perform to be selected for England because it’s a lot of competition.
“But I have a belief in Callum. I think he’s been outstanding this season. And like I said, his goals speaks for themself.”
Trippier also touched on his own situation after Southgate’s visit to St James’ Park, with the 32-year-old now tipped to start in Qatar if Reece James fails to recover in time:
“If he (Southgate) is there or not, I know I need to do my best.
“Again, similar to Callum, I know I’ve got the competition against me and I know I need to perform. That’s the bottom line.
“A World Cup is a special tournament. I’ve been lucky to play in one before and I want to play in one again, so my performances have to be high.”
