‘I’d always try’ – Newcastle United star gives honest response to being left out of squad

Wilson was part of the England World Cup squad in Qatar following a strong start to the season with Newcastle which saw him score six goals in 10 Premier League appearances. The striker came off the bench twice for England at the World Cup to earn his first caps since 2018.

But since his England call-up, Wilson has struggled for goals having found the net just once in his last 15 appearances in all competitions. As a result, he was left out of the Three Lions squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Italy and Ukraine.

Instead, Wilson travelled with the Magpies squad to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp.

Reflecting on his England snub, Wilson said on the Footballer’s Football Podcast: “Obviously I was disappointed. Any opportunity to represent your country, I'd always try and grasp that with both hands but unfortunately I didn't get that call and [Newcastle] were going to Dubai so I managed to use that time wisely with a bit of R&R.

"I feel recharged and reengergised so when the next camp comes around, I'll be much better suited to take a place in the squad.”

Wilson recently dropped out of the Newcastle starting line-up after suffering from illness with Alexander Isak leading the line instead. Isak has scored three goals in two starts and has been nominated for the Premier League’s player of the month for March.

Wilson is expected to remain on the bench for Newcastle against Manchester United this Sunday at St James’ Park (4:30pm kick-off).