Jenkinson encouraged by Premier standard

The Three Lions defender, currently on a season-long loan from Arsenal with West Ham United, has noted the performances of his international colleagues in both the top flight and Championship.

Strikers Saido Berahino, Harry Kane and Danny Ings are all scoring goals, midfielders James Ward-Prowse and Tom Carroll are featuring for Southampton and Swansea respectively and fellow defenders Michael Keane, Eric Dier and Luke Shaw are also in regular action with their clubs.

And with Middlesbrough duo Ben Gibson and Pat Bamford, AFC Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson and Norwich City winger Nathan Redmond riding high in the Championship, Jenkinson is encouraged going into what is an important few months of build-up to the Euro Finals in June.

"We’ve got a few players playing regularly in the Premier League obviously that’s great," said the 23-year-old.

"The rest of the boys are playing regularly in the Championship, and that’s a fantastic level in itself as well. 

"We’ve got a good mix at the moment and most of the boys in the squad are playing regular football and I think that’s really important for lads of our age."

Jenkinson himself has also enjoyed a strong campaign so far, featuring in the majority of this season’s games with the Hammers since making the cross-capital switch at the start of the season.

The former Charlton Athletic player had grown frustrated at his lack of first-team opportunities at the Emirates Stadium, but he’s proved to be one of West Ham’s best performers this season.

Jenkinson in action against Under-21s team-mate Saido Berahino during their recent FA Cup tie with West Brom

"As a young player, all you want to do is play football and I said at the start of the season, I didn’t want to have another season on the bench," he explained.

"I said that to myself and I said that to the boss at Arsenal, I didn’t want that. I wanted to play football, whether that be at Arsenal or whether I went out on loan.

"I’ve gone out on loan and it’s fantastic. 

"I’m loving my football at the moment. I am really enjoying it and that’s the most important thing, all you want to do as a young player is play football and I am doing that now."

Sam Allardyce’s side have also exceeded expectations, finding themselves sat comfortably in the top half of the table after often being involved in the fight for survival in previous campaigns.

"We are doing really well," he said. 

"We brought in some good players in the summer and I think the expectation level has gone up at that club and I think it’s a club going in the right direction which is a reason why I signed. 

"The players that we’ve brought in and obviously with the stadium that West Ham will be moving into the season after next, it’s an exciting time to be a West Ham player. 

"You can feel that in and around the club. It’s going really well and hopefully we can keep it going because we’ve got a lot of faith in the team that we can have a good season."

Jenkinson will be hoping to be back in action for England next month when the Under-21s face both Czech Republic and Germany. Tickets for the game with Germany at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium on Monday 30 March are on sale here.