Dominic Calvert-Lewin clears up England 'bombed out' talk as Leeds United striker outlines World Cup hope
The Leeds United striker will learn on Friday whether he'll be heading to the World Cup.
Leeds United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has confirmed it was ‘always the plan’ for him to leave March's England camp early amid hope of an all-important call-up this Friday.
Calvert-Lewin returned to the Three Lions set up for the first time in five years earlier this year, joining Thomas Tuchel’s squad for a friendly against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay. The 29-year-old got 34 minutes off the bench before returning to Thorp Arch ahead of England’s second game against Japan.
That return fuelled speculation Calvert-Lewin had blown his chance at a World Cup trip but the YEP reported at the time he was always due back in West Yorkshire following the Uruguay game. And the Leeds striker has now confirmed as much, with first-choice Harry Kane one of several first-team regulars drafted in for the Japan fixture.
“[Tuchel was] very open, very positive and he made it clear some players would be leaving after the first game,” Calvert-Lewin told the Official Leeds United podcast. “He said to me ‘we've got guys that played like three-and-a-half-thousand minutes coming in the second half of the week, so it's highly likely you'll be leaving on the Saturday after the first game.
“I thought no problem, just grateful for the opportunity. But that kind of got lost in translation in the media, I would say, because it was almost written as if I’d been bombed out of the squad, which I was a little bit disappointed with, to be honest.
“That wasn't the case. It was always the plan for a select group of players. Then players joined with injuries, so not as many players ended up leaving, and it was inevitable that Harry Kane would come, play, and end up picking up an injury in the camp. But yeah, it was the plan for me.”
Dominic Calvert-Lewin awaiting World Cup fate
Calvert-Lewin’s World Cup hopes still feel very much alive, with Tuchel set to confirm his 26-man squad on Friday morning ahead of Leeds’ weekend trip to West Ham. The Whites striker bagged his third goal in as many games during Sunday’s 1-0 win at home to Brighton, taking him onto 14 for the Premier League season.
No Englishman has more - Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa are level - and Calvert-Lewin’s ability to remain fit throughout the campaign has been impressive. By Friday lunchtime, the Leeds frontman will know if he’s done enough.
”Getting back in the England team is something I spoke about last summer when I didn't have a club, and was arguably a million miles away from it,” he added. “But it's the belief you have to have in yourself, that you can do it, in order for it to happen. Getting back in the camp in March was the external validation that maybe I was looking for.
“So it was a great feeling, and the World Cup is also a dream for any young English kid, to play for England or represent England at a World Cup, and I'm no different. The manager makes the decisions and picks the team, so I'm well aware that all I can do is keep doing what I’m doing, scoring goals and whatever happens, happens.”