Crystal Palace of England sensation, Eberechi Eze has received a strong vote to finally dump Nigeria and accept pressure of lining out for his country of birth at senior international level, as his coach in the English Premier League club, Roy Hodgson says the lad is deserves a spot with The Three Lions.
Megasportsaena.com reports that, although Eze has been under pressure in recent years from Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) president, Melvin Amaju Pinnick for him to commit his international future to the Super Eagles, Hodgson insists the youngster will be good enough to play for England.
Hodgson added a fresh angle to the ongoing battle of wits between England and Nigeria over Eze after the 22-year-old winger-cum-midfielder grabbed his third goal of the current season in last Saturday’s 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
That feat saw Eze continue his fine start at Selhurst Park, following his arrival from Queens Park Rangers last summer and, while Eze is still eligible to play for Nigeria at senior level, he is already an integral part of England’s under-21 squad.
Although Eze missed the youth team’s recent games in November, that was only due to an injury and Hodgson, who, during his days in charge of the national team, convinced Jack Grealish to pick The Three Lions over Republic of Ireland, has advocated a similar route for the Nigerian-born dazzler.
Hodgson submitted: “I would like to think that like Jack Grealish before him, whom I found myself in a situation of needing to speak to, to try to persuade him he was good enough to play for England and that he should perhaps give it a chance.
“I would certainly say the same to Eberechi Eze if I was in that sort of situation. Is he ready at the moment? I wouldn’t think so. I think there are so many players in his position and of his type, it would be very bold of me to suggest he could go in front of them.
“He is a member of the under-21 side and I would like to think and hope he keeps his position there and that he keeps improving and keeps in the eye line of Gareth Southgate and the other England coaches while he is working there.
“At the same time of course his performances are monitored in the Premier League, but I’m more than happy with the progress he is making and the difference he has made as a player to our team. I think he will need a bit more of that before we start trying to raise him up even higher because already he has taken quite a big step.”
