West Ham vs Leeds: Bowen asked to answer England omission

Jarrod Bowen was left out of England's 26-man World Cup squad, and Nuno Espirito Santo wants Sunday to be the moment West Ham's captain turns that disappointment into something useful. The manager says Bowen has embraced the pressure, but West Ham still need a result against Leeds to keep their survival hopes alive. Bowen has not scored since February.

Why Nuno is leaning on Bowen

Nuno was clear about what he wants from Jarrod Bowen. "He was sad, but he will immediately turn the page and focus on Sunday," the West Ham manager said. He added: "We are very proud to have Jarrod as skipper. He's got a good work rate and commitment and he leads by example on his team-mates."

That is the profile West Ham need right now. Bowen has played 37 Premier League matches this season, scored 8 goals and supplied 10 assists, so the output is still there even if the goal drought since February has hung over him. His 6.97 Premier League rating also suggests he has been one of the more reliable performers in a poor team season.

What West Ham still need on Sunday

The league table gives West Ham very little room. They are 18th with 36 points after 37 matches, and the brief says they must beat Leeds and need Everton to get a favourable result against Tottenham to stay up. Both matches kick off at 4pm on Sunday.

Leeds are not arriving as passengers, either. Daniel Farke's side are unbeaten in their last eight league games and can still finish as high as 11th with a win. Farke confirmed that Anton Stach is out, while Pascal Struijk has been back in training and could be available. Sean Longstaff is out after hernia surgery, according to Farke's update.

The pressure point is obvious: West Ham need their captain to produce the kind of display Nuno is talking about. Bowen does not need to prove anything to anybody in the manager's eyes, but he does need to give West Ham a performance that keeps the season alive.