Dominic Calvert-Lewin should have got England call-up before Tammy Abraham, says Wayne Rooney
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ByEurosport
Updated 25/10/2020 at 08:36 GMT
Calvert-Lewin has scored in each of the opening five league games this season and will look to continue that run when Everton visit Southampton on Sunday. Wayne Rooney believes the 23-year-old should have been called up earlier than October 1.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Image credit: Getty Images
Dominic Calvert-Lewin should have been called up to the England squad before Tammy Abraham, says Wayne Rooney.
Calvert-Lewin's prolific form earned him a place in the Three Lions side and he marked his debut with a goal in the 3-0 victory over Wales earlier this month.
Abraham made his international debut for the senior team in November 2017. Rooney thinks Calvert-Lewin deserved to get his first cap sooner than the Chelsea forward.
"For England, he can become an important member of the squad and it's great seeing him finally recognised at international level," Rooney wrote in his column for The Sunday Times.
"I've always thought young lads from the north have to work harder to get their England opportunities than boys from the big southern clubs.
I felt Calvert-Lewin deserved his chance before Chelsea's Tammy Abraham.
Calvert-Lewin has scored 10 goals for his club this season, including seven in the league. Former Everton striker Rooney put the 23-year-old's fast start down to him leading the line regularly under Ancelotti.
Rooney wrote: "Before, Dominic would come into Everton's side, play four-five games, then be taken out again. That happened every season since his debut in 2016... Sometimes you just need to get past that.
"Ancelotti has used him in every game of his Everton reign and at the end of 2019-20, when Dominic went 10 games without scoring, Ancelotti kept starting him.
"We're seeing the rewards. Dominic always had it in him and the big question mark was whether he could score consistently enough, but now that's coming through game time."
Additional reporting from Reuters.
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