QPR striker Charlie Austin has been in superb form for his club this season and must be close to an England call-up
As expected on Friday night England made easy work of their Euro 2016 qualifier against Lithuania with a 4-0 victory at Wembley.
Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck was the star of the show on the wing scoring a goal and being a constant threat to the Lithuanian defence.
Withdrawn
However, Welbeck has now been ruled out of the Three Lions friendly international on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old has joined fellow forwards Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling in returning home through injury.
That means that the England squad is down to just two recognised forwards in captain Wayne Rooney and youngster Harry Kane. That should be enough forward cover, but QPR striker Charlie Austin could provide an extra striking option.
Impressive
The 25-year-old former-Burnley striker has been impressive in the Premier League this season, having scored 15 goals in his debut season in the top-flight with struggling QPR. In fact he has just under half of the Hoops top-flight goal tally of 31 this season.
His impressive form has attracted calls for Austin to be called-up to the England squad. Unfortunately for the former-Swindon star he has a lot of competition for a place in his position in the England squad.
Unexpected
Austin seems like a down to earth guy and recently revealed that he did not expect to be called-up to the England squad. We asked about whether he expected a call-up he told Sky’s Soccer AM: No. I think, if you look at the strikers, there are three who pick themselves. (Wayne) Rooney, (Daniel) Sturridge and (Danny) Welbeck.
And then you are going to pick Harry Kane, the form he is in, he has been incredible this season. So no, I did not expect to be picked. They (the media outlets calling for his inclusion) do not pick the team.
Meteoric
Austin has taken the hard road to the Premier League and not the usual route of coming through a club academy and maybe it has made him appreciate his current situation slightly more.
Austin was playing non-league football until 2009, after being released at the age of 15 by Reading because he was too small. He was signed by Swindon in 2009 from non-league Poole Town after impressing scouts with his goalscoring exploits.
Since then he has been prolific for the Robins, Burnley and more recently QPR. Austin looks like a natural born goalscorer and his coolness in front of goal is impressive.
Staying
Charlie Austin looks very comfortable in the Premier League and even if his clubs future does not lay in the Premier League his does. If the Hoops are relegated to the Championship this season then Austin is unlikely to be with them in the second tier.
The striker has been linked with a move to London rivals Crystal Palace in the summer if the Hoops are relegated this season. It looks unlikely that the Eagles will be the only suitors for the prolific striker this summer though.
Unlikely
. However Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand has been called-up in place of Everton’s Leighton Baines, with the Toffees full-back struggling for fitness.
Maybe Austin still has hope of a call-up for the trip to Italy to replace the injured Welbeck. It certainly would not be undeserved as he has been outstanding in a poor QPR team this season.
Future
Charlie Austin seems to have a bright future in the game after arriving at the top level the hard way. Like all good goalscorers he has the knack of being in the right place at the right time and if he continues in a similar vein then an England call-up will not be too far away.
England boss Roy Hodgson may currently have a plethora of forward options available to him, but the QPR striker seems to have the intelligence and ability to play international football. I have no doubts that his time on the international scene will come and he is more than likely to take it with both hands when it arrives.
Should Charlie Austin receive a call-up to the England squad?
