Callum Wilson was initially insistent. A senior international debut awaits against the United States, with the striker suggesting he would fulfil the pledge made in his youth that he would “never go to Wembley until I played for England”. But that actually needed qualifying. He had been present as a fan, cheering from the sidelines as Coventry won the Checkatrade Trophy. And then, of course, there were all those goals he had scored and celebrated with gusto in the national arena as a kid. Not that those feats are recorded.

To clarify, the young Wilson and his friends, some future teammates at Coventry’s academy, had named the local cages or the patch of tarmac around the garages on the estate as their ‘Wembley’. It was there he visualised what may now come to pass against the USA on Thursday night. “As a youngster, playing around with your friends, you’d always re-enact playing at Wembley, things like that,” he said. “It’d be one versus one, where you’d try and score to get through to the next round. Yeah, it was competitive, but even then I was hoping that, one day, it would happen for real.

Wayne Rooney finally feels free to enjoy pulling on an England shirt Read more

“I’ve never set foot on the pitch at Wembley. Even when I was at Coventry, or playing [on loan] in the Conference, I always said I’d play here for England. I’ve been injured when Bournemouth have played Tottenham there. Playing this week, if it happens, would be a dream come true. From the moment I walked in, I’ve felt I should be here. My performances this season have justified my selection. I felt comfortable joining up.”

That is a reflection of Wilson’s self-confidence, but it should come as no surprise that he is not daunted by a call-up to this level. The 26-year-old , like so many in Gareth Southgate’s squad, has earned this the hard way. It is only six years since he was playing for Tamworth in non-league, turning up for training “with people coming in their work overalls, straight off a painting job”. “It put football into perspective for me but, without being disrespectful, also showed me I didn’t want to be at that level throughout my career: I wanted to make something more for myself, and it gave me the hunger and desire to impress my manager, go back to my parent club and play.”

You get told at you are going to be out for nine to 12 months, then they say it could take up to 18 months to get back

Once he had established his reputation back at Coventry there would be a £3.5m move to Bournemouth in the Championship, and promotion to the elite, before the real tests of his powers of recovery. Wilson would rupture the anterior cruciate ligament of each knee in the space of 16 months. He missed the birth of his second child, Orlagh, as he was in the US working with the reconditioning coach, Bill Knowles, preparing to return to running. “You get told at first you are going to be out for nine to 12 months, then they say it could take up to 18 months to get back to the level you were before you got injured,” he said. “Then, just before you go into the operation, they tell you there’s a small risk it might not work and you might not play again. It is daunting hearing that.

“The first injury, I rushed it. It was my first Premier League season and I wanted to get back because, at the time, we weren’t sure if the club might get relegated. Looking back, it was obviously a bad decision to rush it. I stayed in Bournemouth the whole time and, when I did get back, I was mentally tired. The second time, I knew each block and phase throughout my rehab, so I went away, to see specialists in the US and Qatar, for a change of scenery. It was hard but, like anything in life, if it is worth fighting for, you go through some tough times to get there. It just makes you stronger and appreciate things more.”

Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho set to make full England debut against USA Read more

Having trained with Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney this week, the top flight’s joint-leading English scorer is set to become the first player in Bournemouth’s 119-year history to start for England. The club will have to pay Coventry £25,000 if he makes an appearance. His solitary under-21s cap was awarded by Southgate in 2014. “Back then I was in the Championship, whereas a lot of the other lads were Premier League players,” he said. “You felt like: ‘You’re here, and they’re there.’

“Maybe I didn’t appreciate it properly. I didn’t feel I was meant to be there. But now, my performances have shown I am able to be here. Gareth has told me to be relaxed, to be myself, to do what I’ve done up to this point. To be Callum Wilson.”