Eddie Nketiah offered chance to switch allegiance after England debut
- Nketiah made his debut for England in Friday's friendly against Australia
- Having yet to play a competitive game, his future remains open
- Ghana boss Chris Houghton is keen to link up with Nketiah
By Tom Gott
Ghana manager Chris Houghton has admitted he is still keen to secure the international allegiance of Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, who made his England debut in Friday's friendly victory over Australia.
The 24-year-old had a prolific youth career with England before finally making his debut for Gareth Southgate's senior side, coming off the bench to replace Ollie Watkins for the final 17 minutes of the friendly.
Given he is yet to represent England in a competitive fixture, Nketiah is still free to switch his nation and is eligible for Ghana, who have made no secret of their desire to snap up a number of players on the fringes of England's setup.
Should Nketiah feature against Italy in Tuesday's European qualifier, he would cement his place as an England international, but Houghton had a late plea for the Arsenal striker.
"Some players are very definite about what they want," he said. "Some are not so sure and some want to see how things develop. I think that's been the case with Eddie.
"We would never say never on him switching to Ghana. But it's always down to what the player wants."
Ghana have secured the commitments of London-born duo Tariq Lamptey and Antoine Semenyo, while Nottingham Forest winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, who has three England caps but has not represented the Three Lions since 2019, is a long-term target.
"I'm still thinking it over," Hudson-Odoi told The Telegraph in September after leaving Chelsea. "Ghana is a very good option but let's wait and see.
"Hopefully once I start playing games here, maybe Gareth [Southgate] or Ghana will come.
"It's a nice position to be in and hopefully sooner or later we will know."
READ MORE OF THE LATEST ENGLAND NEWS, QUOTES & MATCH PREVIEWS
feed