Wilson call-up epitomises feel-good factor at unrecognisable Newcastle

LONDON : This time last year even a diehard Newcastle United optimist might have scoffed at the idea that 12 months on the club would be third in the Premier League and providing three players to Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad.

With Newcastle still seeking a first win of the season, next to bottom in the table, and the club's new Saudi-backed owners yet to flex their financial muscle in the transfer market, top-flight survival was the only thing on anyone's mind.

How fortunes can change.

Eddie Howe's side host a struggling Chelsea on Saturday knowing victory would put them nine points above the Londoners and keep them behind only Arsenal and Manchester City as the Premier League shuts down for a month.

They will go into that game with confidence sky high, none more so than striker Callum Wilson who on Thursday was included, along with keeper Nick Pope and right back Kieran Trippier, in Southgate's 26-man squad that will fly to Qatar next week.

The 30-year-old Wilson earned four caps under Southgate in 2018 and 2019 when he was under Howe at Bournemouth and might have thought that was that as far as his international career.

But his form has been one of the reasons for Newcastle's extraordinary rise. He has six Premier League goals this season and offers Southgate an ideal alternative to Harry Kane, although his history of injuries will be a worry.

"Callum had a difficult career. It has not always been about successes. He's risen from the lower leagues to the national side for a World Cup," Howe told reporters on Friday.

"It has been brilliant to witness first hand, and when you see how it has been achieved, the dedication and consistency of his work, a positive mindset.

"Even when he was out injured, his first instinct was