Jarrod Bowen believes there were a number of positives to take from West Ham United’s Premier League Summer Series opener, despite the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
Our captain scored his first goal of pre-season to reduce the Hammers’ deficit to one goal in the 63rd minute, following two Bruno Fernandes strikes either side of half-time.
Defensive mistakes ultimately cost Graham Potter’s side at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, but the performance improved towards the end of the game, and Bowen is confident he and his teammates are heading in the right direction ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
“I think there's always positives and negatives you can take from pre-season games,” he said. “It’s not going to be perfect at this stage, and in the first half in particular I think we maybe made a few too many mistakes.
“But we’re one team, and we stick together. They were good on transitions, and punished us a couple of times, but I think we reacted well at 2-0, and I thought the way we finished the game was really strong.”
Bowen demonstrated great skill to power a strong strike into the net using his weaker right foot, and he explained he has been working hard to continually improve his all-round game.
As a big American Football fan, he was also delighted to score at the home of the New York Giants, who incidentally are his Dad’s favourite NFL side.
“Shooting with my right foot is something I've been working on for five or six years now, maybe even longer from my days at Hull,” he continued. “When you’re a winger playing on the opposite side you often find yourself in those sorts of positions, and you want to keep the defender guessing.
“I’m always looking to get better, in any way I can. Every day after training I’ll do ten shots on my right foot, and some of them don’t go as well as they did today! Some go in different directions, but it’s important to keep working on things and trying to improve.
“Today it went in, and to score here at the MetLife was really cool. My Dad is a Giants fan - unfortunately he wasn’t here, but it’s still a nice touch.
“We’ve got two more games in NFL stadiums, so I’m looking forward to what’s to come. It’s been a great experience out here so far, and I loved seeing all the fans in attendance here tonight.
“It’s always nice to see our fans, and to see those who don’t often get the chance to see us play. We appreciate all our supporters, and we’re all looking forward to meeting and getting to know more of them throughout the rest of the tour.”
Finally, Bowen reserved a mention for 18-year-old Academy of Football graduate Preston Fearon, who came off the bench to make his senior debut against the Red Devils, and impressed during his ten or so minutes on the pitch.
Bowen added: ”He’s a special player. I’m surprised he didn’t nutmeg anyone, because I’ve never seen someone nutmeg so many people in training. He’s done it to me a couple of times as well!
“I’ll let him off, because he’s a special player, and a really good person as well. He’s really grounded, and he really wants to work hard.
“I’m so glad he got his opportunity tonight, because he deserved it. I’m proud of him and so happy for him, and I know there’ll be many more to come.”
