In a move to secure the talented Eberechi Eze’s allegiance, the English Football Association has granted the Crystal Palace attacking midfielder his first senior call-up to the English national team, surpassing the efforts of the Nigerian Federation.

Nigeria had initially attempted to cap Eze by inviting him to train with the Super Eagles back in March 2017, but their plans were thwarted when the friendly match against Burkina Faso was canceled.

Since then, Nigeria, the 2013 AFCON champions, have persistently pursued Eze, hoping to convince him to switch his international allegiance to their side. However, their endeavors have proven unsuccessful thus far. Gareth Southgate, the England manager, has now included Eze in the latest England squad, announcing a list of 24 other players for the upcoming UEFA Euro qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.

If Eze gets even a brief appearance in any of the matches next month, he will become tied to England, his country of birth. This inclusion in the England squad comes as no surprise, given Eze’s exceptional recent form for Crystal Palace. Over the past few weeks, he has scored six goals and provided one assist in the last eight games, accumulating a total of fourteen goal involvements across all competitions this season for the Eagles.

Eze, along with other team members, is expected to report to St. George’s Park on June 12th for training, excluding those players participating in the UEFA European finals, who will join the squad at a later date. With victories against Italy and Ukraine in March, England currently sits atop their group, aiming to continue their successful campaign

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