Life’s a pitch for Jarrod Bowen as West Ham get an injury scare in the England draw with Denmark at Euro 2024 in Germany.
In the build-up to England’s Euro 2024 Group C clash with Denmark there was a train of thought that West Ham star Jarrod Bowen might start.
With Luke Shaw out and Kieran Trippier a serious doubt at left-back, former Hammer Rio Ferdinand made a bold claim.
Ferdinand said that Bukayo Saka could be used at left-back which would have opened up a chance for West Ham’s top scorer Bowen to start.
Bowen did West Ham proud when he came on with 15 minutes to go in the win over Serbia.
Bowen gets second Euro 2024 cameo
He left the pitch as the only England player to create a big chance in that game and did not put a foot wrong.
Come kick-off, though, Gareth Southgate kept the same team that started against the Serbs.
A win for England would have sealed qualification for the knockouts.
Denmark did a number on predictable Southgate tactically and were unfortunate not to win as the match ended 1-1.
Bowen came on for Saka again after 65 minutes to suddenly pique West Ham interest in the game.
But it was a case of life’s a pitch for Bowen as West Ham get an injury scare in the England draw.
Life’s a pitch for Bowen as West Ham get injury scare
Just moments after coming on Bowen was chasing back to try and help thwart a Danish counter attack.
Hammers were wincing as they watched their star man slip on the woeful Frankfurt pitch.
The pitch, which Bowen played on for West Ham in that defeat to Eintracht a couple of years ago, had been cutting up all game long.
Bowen went over on his ankle and was seen in serious pain for several minutes.
The forward was limping heavily at first and the commentators suggested he might have to come straight off.
Perhaps spotting the potential weakness, the Hammers hero was then the subject of a crunching tackle by longstanding West Ham full-back target Joakim Mæhle. It left Bowen crumpled in a heap and the Dane was booked.
Bowen managed to continue but did not look his usual self afterwards.
The turned ankle definitely took something out of Bowen’s movement and acceleration during his second cameo of the tournament.
All West Ham eyes now will be on how the ankle reacts in the hours and days after the game.
Uncle’s potato fields could save the day
If Bowen’s ankle swells then it could rule him out of the final group game with Slovenia at the very least.
The fact Bowen continued and was running on it suggests the injury is certainly not serious.
But it’s only after the blood rushes to this kind of potential sprains and strains that you find out the true extent of the injury.
West Ham will be keeping everything crossed there’s no bad news.
Because Bowen has historically – by his own admission – suffered with weak ankles.
The saving grace may well be – wait for it – potato fields.
Bowen’s rise from Hereford to England via Hull and West Ham was build on graft in his uncle’s potato fields.
As Bowen explained in the past, his dad sent him running on the uneven farm fields to strengthen the troublesome joints.
“It’s a bit like running on sand, but a bit thicker,” Bowen said of the running his uncle’s potato fields in the off-season.
“I’ve found it really good for muscle injuries and, because I’ve had weak ankles, to work on them and stabilise them.
“But also because it is really tough to train on because you feel so slow, when you go running on the grass you feel like you’re a sprinter.
“It’s been my training method for the past three or four years with my old man. He is pretty old school, he doesn’t want me to just go running round a normal field doing football runs, he wants me to run around a potato field with weights in my arms.”
That will hopefully mean the West Ham star escapes the ugly slip relatively unscathed.