When asked if the West Ham United star is simply ‘better’ than a club sitting 15th in the Premier League table, former England striker Darren Bent was a little reluctant to provide a direct answer.
The one-time Tottenham, Sunderland and Aston Villa frontman was careful not to play down the stature or insult the size of a club feeling that little bit lighter on the back of their first Old Trafford triumph since Carlos Tevez’s final day heroics 18 years previously.
West Ham United defeated Ruben Amorim’s beleaguered Man United outfit 2-0. After Tomas Soucek’s opener, Jarrod Bowen was grateful for another Aaron Wan-Bissaka assist as he turned home the clinching goal early in the second-half.
With 11, the captain has reached double figures in three of his four full Premier League seasons in a claret and blue shirt.
And West Ham fans only need to look at Wolves, as Molineux maestro Matheus Cunha closes in on a summer departure, to realise just how lucky they are.
After all, Bowen has already said he plans to stay at West Ham for the remainder of his career; A decision which presumably arose partly out of his love for the Hammers, and partly out of the threat of a clip behind the ear from a father-in-law who would strike fear into most young men this side of the Thames.
Darren Bent says West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen is Champions League level
Yet, while stopping short of urging Bowen to follow in Declan Rice’s footsteps, Bent does feel that the former Hull City forward is a Champions League-level player spending his peak years battling at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
Though, in an era where loyalty is increasingly seldom-seen, Bowen’s commitment to the West Ham cause is a welcome change of pace.
It has been suggested that, even if offers were to be considered, West Ham would demand a British record fee of £150 million. Links with Tottenham and Liverpool, then, have gone by the wayside for a reason of late.
In fact, the only doubts Bent still harbours are to do with Bowen’s record on the international stage. In 16 England caps, the 28-year-old has scored only once.
“His numbers are great,” Bent begins. “He’s got great quality [but] I’m not quite sure where he’s at. I think he’s a good player. A really good player. But I am yet to see him for England where I am like ‘Oh yeah, top, top level’.
“But he might be one of those, when he plays with better players week-in, week-out [he improves].
“He is so crucial to what West Ham do. Also, he looks like he loves his football club. They love him. There is no doubting his quality. Top, top drawer. He could easily play for a team in the Champions League. That’s a fact.
“I just don’t get the burning desire from him [that he wants to leave]. Some players you think; ‘He can’t wait to leave’. Look at Cunha.
“I don’t get that with Jarrod Bowen. I wouldn’t say it is a lack of ambition [but] he is 28 years old, he should be playing in the Champions League.”
Bowen wants to stay at West Ham for the rest of his career
A modern-day Hammers legend, Bowen’s claret-and-blue legacy looks set to remain unblemished. Unlike, say, Declan Rice.
A former skipper whose reputation will always be somewhat tainted in the eyes of some supporters following that switch to London neighbours Arsenal in 2023.
“I always aim to show what it means to represent West Ham,” Bowen said last year. “I hope I stay forever.”
If that means never setting foot on the Champions League stage, well, some things are less important than love and loyalty.
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