Lewis Cook’s grandfather will have an extra reason to hope that Gareth Southgate uses the pair of upcoming friendlies to give some younger players a chance.
Not only will Cook’s grandad, Trevor Burlingham, be excited to see the Bournemouth midfielder make his senior debut for England but he will also be £17,000 richer if Cook gets the nod.
In 2014, when Cook was breaking into the Leeds first team, his grandfather was so confident that the youngster would make it all the way to the England squad that he placed a £500 wager that Cook would earn his first cap before his 26th birthday.
William Hill offered him odds of 33/1 and while it seems inevitable that Cook, who is still only 21, will get his shot at some point in the next five years, his grandfather will hope that his debut comes sooner rather than later.
“Lewis has obviously already had one call-up but didn’t win a cap and it now looks like a case of when, not if his grandfather is repaid for the faith he showed in his grandson,” said William Hill spokesman Joe Crilly.
“He has been in fine form this season and is well deserving of a call-up, so let’s hope he can go one better and bag a cap in the next few days.”
