Danny Dyer has launched an extraordinary attack on England manager Thomas Tuchel, branding the decision to leave his son-in-law Jarrod Bowen out of the World Cup squad an “absolute joke”. The actor, speaking on the Wayne Rooney Show, did not hold back after Bowen, 29, was omitted from the 26-man party heading to the USA, Mexico and Canada.
“It’s a double whammy for him, he had a terrible weekend, it’s awful. He didn’t get called, which is a joke, by the way,” Dyer said. “I might be slightly biased, but that boy… We were half booking flights. That’s how confident we were. And then it turns out he got the call [saying no]. So it’s a tough weekend for the kid.”
“Danny Dyer calls Thomas Tuchel's decision to leave Jarrod Bowen out of England's World Cup squad an 'absolute joke'.”
Bowen, who is married to Dyer’s daughter Dani, suffered a second blow in the space of days. The West Ham United captain was relegated to the Championship with the Hammers after Tottenham’s 1-0 victory over Everton condemned them to the drop. His future at the London Stadium is now uncertain, with Chelsea, Manchester United and others linked with a summer move.
Dyer, clearly frustrated, questioned England’s chances without the winger. “He’s got a big heart, man, and he should be on that plane. I think it’s ridiculous. Difficult, though, isn’t it? Without Jarrod, they’re going to be pony. They’re going to struggle. I don’t think we’ll beat Croatia in the first game. Anyone decent we’ve played, Senegal we lost to, Japan. As soon as he’s had a test, we’ve failed. So, I don’t know, I hope I’m wrong and I hope it’s a good thing, but Jarrod should be on that plane.”
Tuchel, when pressed on the omission, admitted Bowen had been “excellent” in every camp but suggested his club’s relegation had counted against him. “Jarrod was the one of the players under the radar maybe. He was just excellent in every camp for us and then gets the phone call that he’s not on the plane. Does Jarrod suffer a bit from the situation at his club? It is difficult for him. Does Noni [Madueke] and Bukayo [Saka] profit from the situation of their club?”
Bowen contributed nine goals and 11 assists in 38 Premier League appearances last season, but it was not enough to keep West Ham up. Meanwhile, England laboured to an unconvincing friendly win over New Zealand in their final warm-up, with Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka among those unavailable. Tuchel will hope his squad can improve before the tournament opener against Croatia.