A COUPLE of months ago, as he was consigned to the sidelines by his latest hamstring setback, Callum Wilson must have feared his World Cup dream was over. Unsure of exactly when he would be able to return, and with the most recent of his four international caps having come back in October 2019, the Newcastle United striker was a huge outsider to make Gareth Southgate’s squad for Qatar.

Fast forward to the present day, and while Wilson’s place on the plane to the Middle East is still far from guaranteed, his odds have certainly shortened. Quite right too. While Southgate has some awkward decisions to make before he announces his final 26-man squad next week, with his full-backs, in particular, continuing to fall like flies, Wilson’s fate should not be exercising too many of his thoughts. Not only should the 30-year-old be in the squad, he should also be regarded as the best back-up option to Harry Kane.

His recent form screams as much, with last weekend’s brace against Aston Villa having made it three goals in his last two matches and four in six since he returned to the side at the start of October. He is averaging a goal every 123 minutes this season, a ratio that is only bettered by Kane when it comes to English strikers playing in the Premier League. He has also proven his goalscoring capabilities over a number of years, first with Bournemouth, and then with Newcastle, when he maintained an impressively high scoring rate despite playing in a team that was lacking creativity for much of his time on Tyneside.

He certainly looks a much better bet than the vast majority of his attacking rivals, most of whom are either badly out of form or have failed to impress in their recent outings in an England shirt.

Marcus Rashford will be part of Southgate’s squad – the England manager’s loyalty means he would have been selected even if his form hadn’t picked up markedly in the last few weeks – but he is regarded as a wide attacker rather than a central striker capable of providing an alternative to Kane, or acting as a deputy for the England skipper if he was to be unavailable.

Tammy Abraham got the opportunity to audition to be Kane’s understudy during this summer’s Nations League matches, but his performance in the goalless draw with Italy at Molineux hardly set the world alight, and it was telling that Southgate did not turn to him in the autumn. While Abraham had a decent season with Roma last year, he has scored just three goals in 16 appearances during the current campaign.

Ivan Toney has flickered into life briefly this season, but he has not scored in his last three games and was an unused substitute during September’s Nations League double-header. If Southgate didn’t trust him for a dead rubber against Germany, why would he be willing to rely on him in Qatar?

Dominic Calvert-Lewin had a sustained run of games for England in the first half of 2021, but the Everton striker has missed the best part of a year through injury and is still feeling his way back. True, he has featured in Everton’s last five matches, but he has only scored one goal and his sharpness is still lacking.

Ollie Watkins and Patrick Bamford have dropped out of the picture entirely thanks to a combination of injury issues and loss of form, meaning the competition for Wilson is actually pretty sparse. Even it wasn’t, though, Newcastle’s number nine merits a squad place on the strength of his own qualities alone.

The Northern Echo: Callum Wilson celebrates after scoring against Aston VillaCallum Wilson celebrates after scoring against Aston Villa (Image: PA)

Provided he remains fit, Kane will clearly be England’s number one striker in Qatar, and with Southgate only playing with one central forward, the other attackers in his squad will be expected to perform a series of very specific roles.

First, they have to be capable of stepping in to replace Kane in the starting side if he is absent, although being brutally honest, a serious injury to their skipper would probably scupper England’s hopes of going deep into the competition anyway. Even so, who would you rather have leading the line without Kane? Wilson, Toney or Calvert-Lewin? Surely, by dint of his experience alone, you would plump for the former?

Second, Southgate will be looking for a striker capable of coming on in the final few minutes of a close game – or maybe in extra-time in the knockout stages – who can take the one opportunity that comes his way. Again, in terms of being clinical in and around the 18-yard box, Wilson gets the nod ahead of his rivals.

Finally, a forward who, all things being equal, is unlikely to get much game time, needs to be a team player, willing to support and encourage those around him without moping about his own lack of opportunities. Again, as a 30-year-old who appears to have a well-rounded view of the world given his podcast appearances and leadership role with the Newcastle squad, Wilson would appear much-better suited to the demands of tournament life than the likes of Toney or Calvert-Lewin.

His injury record is a concern, with hamstring problems having a tendency to keep cropping up, but the same is true, if not more so, of Calvert-Lewin, and there has been nothing in the last month to suggest Wilson is vulnerable to another breakdown. Indeed, if anything, the fact he has missed most of the first half of the season could work in his favour as he attempts to stay fit.

Nick Pope and Kieran Trippier’s places in Southgate’s squad seem assured, but they should not be the only Newcastle players getting the call next week. Wilson might have narrowly missed out on a hat-trick last weekend – he should be completing one in the next few days when it comes to the Magpies’ representation in Qatar.