With the World Cup set to kick off in Qatar later this month, England manager Gareth Southgate might want to consider calling up West Ham stalwart Aaron Cresswell.

The 32-year-old has enjoyed a strong start to the season and was recently named in SofaScore's European team of the month after his impressive displays for the Hammers in the month of October.

While Declan Rice and Jarrod Bowen will be the main contenders from West Ham's squad to make the cut in Qatar, Cresswell's chances have been significantly boosted in the past week.

Much has been made about the plethora of top-quality right-backs available to Southgate in the England squad but there aren't too many contenders on the other side.

Luke Shaw seems the likely choice to start there after his great European Championships, which saw him score England's goal in the final, however, he has lost his starting place at Manchester United to Tyrell Malacia at times this season, with just seven Premier League starts under his belt.

Ben Chilwell's injury struggles have come to the fore at the worst possible time again, as a hamstring injury picked up for Chelsea in midweek could rule him out of Qatar, which may open up the door for Cresswell instead.

The 32-year-old, who earns £50k-per-week at West Ham, does have three England caps to his name but last made the squad in 2017, despite some impressive form for the Hammers in recent seasons.

Paul Robinson was full of praise for Cresswell in 2021 and suggested that only Shaw and Chilwell were ahead of him in the pecking order for England.

He said:

“Cresswell is an amazing player. Consistency is the word with him. You know what you are going to get week in, week out. He never lets the team down.

“It is just unfortunate for him that England have got so much strength in that position with the likes of Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell. He has been the unsung hero at West Ham over the past couple of seasons."

So far this campaign, the former Ipswich Town man has made 12 appearances in the Premier League and averaged a strong 6.84 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which ranks him ahead of the likes of Shaw, Chilwell and Crystal Palace man Tyrick Mitchell, who could be another outside shout heading into the tournament.

Therefore, considering the injury suffered by Chilwell and their respective form so far this campaign, Cresswell should definitely be in contention to board the plane to Qatar in a few weeks' time.