Nketiah turned down the chance to play for Ghana and has been rewarded with an England call-up
Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah has described his decision to ditch Ghana for England as the "natural progression" of things, after receiving his maiden call-up to the Three Lions for the September international break.
Nketiah receives England call-up
Speaking ahead of England's 2024 Euros qualifier against Ukraine, Nketiah spoke about his elation at his first Three Lions call-up, saying, "It's a really proud moment for me, my family and friends. It has been quite the journey to get here - a lot of ups and downs.
He explained his decision to choose to play for England instead of Ghana, where his parents are from, saying, "Once the call-up was there, an offer was on the table, it was really hard to turn down and something which I felt was a natural progression for myself at this stage."
The Arsenal forward has been in good form since becoming a more important part of the Gunners squad last season, earning him his dream international invite.
Nketiah has also been a key player for England's youth setup and is the current Under-21 side's all-time leading goal-scorer with 16 goals.
Nketiah ready for England responsibility
He expressed his belief that his call-up was earned thanks to his improvement overtime, saying, "I'm a much better player than I was maybe two or three years ago. I'm coming in at a good time and I'm in a good moment. I feel confident and feel ready. I know I'm still going to improve. I'm humble enough to know that I'm not the finished article."
The 24-year-old, who was also invited to the Ghanaian national team ahead of the 2022 World Cup described the scenes when he finally received his England call-up saying, "When I got the text it was surreal. I am usually a calm guy but I did lose a bit of composure for a second.
"It was an amazing moment - all my family were really emotional. I have worked really hard to get up to this point so it was kind of nice to get that recognition. I don't think I said much, I was just checking my phone to make sure it said 'selected'.
"My parents were really emotional because they sacrificed a lot for me to get here," he added. "It was just really nice to see that kind of happiness and pride on their faces."
Nketiah will get the chance to make his England debut when the Three Lions face Ukraine in a Euros qualifier and Scotland in an international friendly this month.
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