Thomas Tuchel told 11-cap star can be England’s World Cup wildcard after five years in the wilderness

Dominic Calvert-Lewin could be on the plane to the World Cup with England next summer if he can keep his form up.

That’s according to talkSPORT hosts and esteemed journalists Henry Winter and Shaun Custis, who discussed the striker’s chances of a call-up.

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Calvert-Lewin has scored in five straight Premier League games, with a double against Crystal Palace making it six goals in five.

He had only scored one in his previous 10 appearances for Leeds before going on to catch fire with some scintillating form.

The 28-year-old, who arrived at Elland Road in the summer after leaving Everton, is now the joint-fifth highest scorer in the top-flight.

And his scoring could well have seen him enter the thoughts of Thomas Tuchel and England ahead of the World Cup.

Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins are looking sure to be on the plane, but another back-up spot seems to be up for grabs, with Brighton’s Danny Welbeck also tipped for a spot.

Calvert-Lewin may be another option though, as the 11-cap star eyes a return to the Three Lions’ set-up for the first time since 2021.

“Goals in five successive games, he is looking the part, but I think he’s got to put together a bigger body of work to prove he’s the man to go with,” Custis said on talkSPORT’s Sunday Edition.

Winter then added: “Emphasis on body, he does need to keep his body in shape and he did an interview speaking about what he’d been working on and developing.

“There is an opportunity for the third England No.9.”

“I’d still have Watkins in there,” Winter said when pressed on who the leading back-up England striker is. “I still think he is.

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“But if he’s fit, you’d have him [Calvert-Lewin] there as the three.

“A fit Calvert-Lewin is effective, he is good…some Leeds fans have said there are echoes of Lee Chapman in terms of ability in the air and leading the lines.”

‘I would pick him’

Calvert-Lewin’s Leeds teammate, Anton Stach, has also tipped him to potentially receive the World Cup call from Tuchel.

Speaking after the Whites’ win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, Stach said: “First of all, I’m glad he performs so well. In the last few weeks, he’s been so important for us and scored so many goals.

“But it’s not only his goals, it’s also in the locker room and how he’s working with the ball.

“I think he’s a really strong, athletic guy, and I hope he can keep going like this – then we will see [about an England call-up].

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“It’s not my decision, but I would pick him, of course.

“I watch Harry Kane in the Bundesliga, but not all the time. I’ve seen Dom more often in the last few weeks in training.

“He’s a really good striker and he’s doing well. I hope he keeps going like this because he’s very important to the team.”

One of the best around

Praise continues to pile in for Calvert-Lewin, who appears to be returning to his best now at Elland Road.

Injury issues have massively hampered his career, but after making 11 starts in 15 games, could he be over those struggles?

“If he stays fit, he is one of the best headerers of the ball,” ex-Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino started on talkSPORT’s Weekend Breakfast.

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“He’s got one of the best leaps, he’ll get goals…I don’t think he’s going to be a 20-goal-a-year man, but in general.

“We’re seeing him play week-in-week-out now, and with that belief, Calvert-Lewin is a handful.”

On what may have led to his turnaround in form, Cascarino theorised: “He looked like a guy who had been in the gym too much [last season at Everton]…and he kept getting injured.

“I don’t know if he’s changed his work ethic around his training, but he doesn’t look as bulky as he once was.

“I’d love to ask him whether he’s changed his gym programme at Leeds and kept away from the gym, as one thing injured players do all the time is go there to keep fit.

“He’s now playing well, getting goals and playing football.”