Former Brighton star Bobby Zamora has explained how he intends to help Danny Welbeck earn a spot in England’s squad for this summer’s World Cup.
The veteran was a glaring omission from the Three Lions’ recent camp, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Dominic Solanke getting the nod from Thomas Tuchel instead.
Welbeck is the highest-scoring Englishman in the Premier League so far this season, and his influence on and off the pitch has led to calls for the ex-Manchester United star to be on the plane to Canada, the USA and Mexico this summer.
The 35-year-old’s hopes are still alive, with Tuchel said to be well aware of his talents, and Zamora, Brighton’s attacking coach, has now outlined how he plans to help the striker.
Speaking to The Argus, the two-time England international said: “For me, when we get back together after the international break, it’s sitting down with him and saying, ‘Look, how can we get you in that England squad?’
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“How can we make it so that they cannot say no to him, and how many goals is that going to be? And then it’s working almost backwards from that.
“Right, you’re going to need X amount of chances per game. Where are these chances going to come from? Who are the main suppliers for you?”
Welbeck has scored 13 goals in all competitions so far this season, including a brace against Liverpool before the recent international break. The forward rose highest to nod home the opener at the Amex Stadium before converting from close range after being teed up by Jack Hinshelwood.
Zamora feels that Welbeck needs to spend time considering how his teammates often look to create chances in the final third so that he can adapt and ensure that Tuchel has no choice but to include him in his summer plans.
The former Seagulls star continued: “Currently, over the last couple of weeks, it has come from crosses and can we focus on that?
“How can we hone that? Hone your finishing within that area, hone your movement within that area, and understanding the quality of crosses that come from (Yankuba) Minteh on the left-hand side.
“Is he going to be putting it back post? Probably not. So it’s getting across that front post. There’s lots of different parts that we can look at and we can work on. But Danny has certainly been in a fantastic vein of form and long may it continue.”
Welbeck has 42 international caps to his name, but his last appearance came in September 2018, and he will be hoping that appearance wasn’t the final time that he has represented the Three Lions.