‘Focused’ Jarrod Bowen had the ‘hunger’ other young players didn’t have, is likened to Jamie Vardy, would have the ‘mindset’ to star for Liverpool and ‘warrants an England call-up’

Jarrod Bowen is set to line up against his potential next club as West Ham travel to Liverpool on Saturday, live on talkSPORT.

With Mohamed Salah’s future appearing no closer to being resolved, Liverpool may have to think about life without their star man sooner rather than later and Bowen is one of the names being bandied about as a potential replacement.

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Despite his eight goals and eight assists in the Premier League this season, Liverpool fans, who were once going into overdrive at the thought of Kylian Mbappe joining, may turn their nose up at being linked with the likes of Bowen.

Not all Liverpool fans though. Luke Graham, who played alongside Bowen at Hereford United, believes his former teammate has exactly what it takes to thrive at Anfield.

“He’s got the mindset. I’m not just saying that because I’m a Liverpool fan!” Graham told talkSPORT.com.

“I haven’t seen massive changes in his mindset from aged 17 to how he is now. You’re not seeing him doing silly things off the pitch, you’re not seeing him in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

“He’s had a rapid rise and I think he appreciates that and you can see that hunger… that’s something you can’t just give a player.

“He reminds me of Jamie Vardy… he’s got the pace blistering pace, that’s his main skillset but his attitude on the pitch – he’s still relentless at his age now, he’s not giving defenders a moment’s peace.

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“The modern game’s all about pressing and covering miles and Jarrod Bowen’s a nuisance. Being a nuisance, and having a focused, professional mindset gives him the chance to get to the real highest level.”

“Focused is the word I’d use to describe him,” Graham continued.

“He wanted to learn, he was a sponge. Yeah, he was quiet but he had that desire that you don’t see a lot of young lads have. You see these young lads in the lower leagues and they think they want it but he just had it. He had that mindset of if I said something to him then he listened and would look to do it better.

“He’d stay late after training, he was one of the first ones in.

“He’s a really well-rounded lad but the biggest take-away is that he had no big time attitude, no arrogance, it was just a sheer desire and was an impressionable young fella who wanted to learn, develop, get in the team and make an impact.”

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Bowen’s humble beginnings in football may be the source of the uncertainty over whether he could cut it at a top club.

West Ham have made immense strides in recent seasons, but it can’t be denied Bowen’s experience at the very top of the game is limited.

But experiences on and off the pitch at Hereford gave him an education that no Premier League club can provide and helped shape him into the man he is today.

Hereford were in deep trouble as they fought relegation from the Conference Premier (now National League) in 2013/14. There were also issues with players being paid as their financial troubles stacked up.

However, Bowen didn’t let all the noise and uncertainty at the club get in the way of his settling into men’s football.

“When he started training with us more regularly as the season went on, we had a small sided game – he wasn’t very big then but a ball’s gone in just over my head and he found a gap between me and an experienced left-back and headed the ball in!” Graham said.

“As a centre-half and a young lad comes in and beats you to a header, his timing and his desire to get his head on it really impressed me. It was a part of his game I hadn’t seen.

“His technical play really stood out but to do that in training made me think ‘hang on a sec, he’s got a really good understanding of the game for someone of his age.”

Having more than held his own in Hereford’s first-team, Bowen was given the nod for the most important match of the season as the team required a win against Alfreton Town on the final day to stay up. Bowen stood up and made himself counted as he netted in the match Hereford won 3-2.

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Hereford United were expelled from the Football Conference in June 2014. Hereford FC, who play in the National League North, are now the local team for fans in Herefordshire to follow.

But United’s legacy lives on through the likes of Bowen, who got a move to Championship side Hull City in July 2014 and he’s now a key player for West Ham.

It won’t be clear until the summer if a move to Liverpool is really in the pipeline but before that Bowen could experience the next step in his blossoming career.

There are growing calls for Gareth Southgate to call him up for his next England squad and Graham believes his former teammate deserves the opportunity.

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On whether Bowen should get an England call-up, Graham said: “100 per cent.

“We look at the one-cap wonders over the years, people frown upon them.

“Yes, you’ve got to be in form, you’ve got to deserve it but you’ve got to have that star quality and there’s no doubt he has that star quality. In some games he’s had that star quality and it’s been the difference.

“If you’re doing that consistently at Premier League level, why shouldn’t you be given that opportunity? His form this season definitely warrants him having a place in the squad at least.”

Listen to full commentary of Liverpool vs West Ham live on talkSPORT, kick-off at 5:30pm on Saturday 5 March

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