A Premier League striker who has not played for England since 2018 can feel ‘aggrieved’ to have been left out of Lee Carsley’s final Three Lions squad.
Carsley will take charge of England for the last time as interim boss against Greece and Ireland on November 14 and 17 respectively before Thomas Tuchel takes over on January 1.
Lewis Hall and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were called up for the first time while Curtis Jones receives another opportunity to make his senior international debut.
Carsley opted not to make any changes to his attacking options as Noni Madueke, Jack Grealish, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke all retained their spots.
But 13-cap England international Darren Bent believes there should have been an opening for an established Premier League striker that has been ‘incredible’ this season.
When asked by talkSPORT co-host Jason Cundy who he thought was unlucky to miss out on an England call-up, Bent named Ipswich left-back Leif Davis, before adding: “There’s one who’s in great form, but I can understand why he’s not in the squad.
“But if you’re picking players on merit, Danny Welbeck‘s been incredible for Brighton this season.”
Bent’s claim left Cundy shaking his head, but the former Tottenham and Sunderland striker doubled down.
“I know what you’re saying, because you think in two years’ time is he going to be there (at the 2026 World Cup)? And the likelihood is not, so I can understand why he’s been left out,” Bent said.
“But if Welbeck is sitting at home right now and he had aspirations of being called up for England, he can feel aggrieved.
“He’s playing as well as anyone in that centre-forward role.”
Welbeck is loving life under Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler and has scored six Premier League goals in ten appearances.
The 33-year-old’s haul this term places him well on track to score his most top-flight goals in a season since 2013/14.
During that campaign, Welbeck scored nine times in 25 games for Manchester United.
Since then, Welbeck has never scored more than six goals in a Premier League season.
Welbeck also has two assists, which places him as Brighton’s equal-best provider alongside Kaoru Mitoma and summer signing Georgino Rutter.
Had Welbeck earned an England call-up, he could have been in line for his first Three Lions appearance since September 2018 when he started in a 1-0 victory over Switzerland.
Hurzeler, who took over from Roberto De Zerbi in June, raved about Welbeck’s impact on and off the field after his goal helped the Seagulls beat Newcastle 1-0 in October.
“If he continues to behave like he does, then he can play on for a long time,” Hurzeler said.
“We have another player (James Milner) who is an age of nearly 40 and he’s still there and trying to be the best every day. That’s the same for Danny.
“I knew he had great talent and he’s a great teammate and very supportive. He’s not only a great footballer but a great teammate and personality.
“He has a feeling for the dynamics of the team and he tries to connect the players. That’s very important for me.”
Welbeck will have the chance to score his most Premier League goals in 11 years when Brighton welcome Manchester City to the Amex Stadium on Saturday.
