Brighton star told he should be in the England squad 'on merit' despite omission

Former England striker Darren Bent believes Brighton’s Danny Welbeck should be in the latest England squad on merit.

Welbeck, 32, is playing some of the best football of his career with the Seagulls and has six goals and two assists from 10 Premier League matches so far.

The former Manchester United and Arsenal striker has 42 caps for country and last featured for England six years ago in a friendly against Switzerland under former boss Gareth Southgate.

Despite his fine recent form, Welbeck was not included in Lee Carsley’s latest squad ahead of Nations League fixtures against Greece on November 14 and Republic of Ireland on November 17.

"There's one who's in great form, but I can understand why he's not in the squad,” said Bent on talkSPORT. "But if you're picking players on merit, Danny Welbeck's been incredible for Brighton this season.

"Is he going to be there (at the 2026 World Cup)? And the likelihood is not, so I can understand why he's been left out," added the former Tottenham striker. "But if Welbeck is sitting at home right now and he had aspirations of being called up for England, he can feel aggrieved. He's playing as well as anyone in that centre-forward role."