African footballers. Ghanaian-English striker Eddie Nketiah accepted call-up to England over Ghana because he felt it was a ‘natural progression’ of his career.
The 24-year-old has been eligible to represent both countries, and held talks with Ghana Football Association over a potential national switch. However, the striker settled on playing for the former world champions after receiving his first invitation from England manager Gareth Southgate.
During England’s pre-match presser, he said “I think both sides were the options. Naturally, coming through the academy in England, I,ve got aspirations to play here. Like I said, once the call up was there and offer on the table, it’s hard to turn down.”
He is set to make his senior debut when England face Ukraine or Scotland during the international break.
Who is Eddie Nkeitah?
Edward Keddar Nketiah (born 30 May 1999) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Premier League club Arsenal. Nketiah started his career with Arsenal and made his debut in 2017. He played on loan at Leeds United in their 2019–20 Championship title-winning season.
Nketiah is known for his pace and movement, his style has been compared to former Arsenal striker Ian Wright. In August 2019 he described Wright as his “mentor”. His playing style was also compared to Jermain Defoe, due to his movement to play off the last defender’s shoulder and his sharp shooting ability from all angles. Nketiah can play as a striker or as a wide forward, with Nketiah describing his own playing style as “I’m a striker, I’m brave, I like to put myself in the places where the chances are going to fall.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta described him as “a role model”, adding that he was impressed with his attitude in training.
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Source: Ghanaweb