England appears poised to claim yet another talent eligible to play for Nigeria, as the Three Lions coach Thomas Tuchel is reportedly desperate to promote the Arsenal winger Ethan Nwaneri to the first team following his brilliant form for Mikel Arteta’s side, Lapalabras reports.
The 17-year-old has been excellent since the turn of the year after being thrust into a regular starting role owing to Arsenal’s crippling injury crisis in attack.
His performances have led to calls for Nwaneri to be fast-tracked into Tuchel’s senior squad, despite the fact he is yet to feature for the U-21s.
According to reports, the English FA, the prospect of Nwaneri going straight into Tuchel’s squad is not being ruled out, but there is a view the youngster would benefit from at least one call-up for U-21s. Nwaneri has nine caps for the U-19s.
While a call-up into Lee Carsley’s U-21 squad for the friendlies against France and Portugal is more likely, Nwaneri could come into Tuchel’s thinking should the England manager suffer attacking injuries between now and his first squad announcement on March 13.
Nwaneri is being hailed as one of the brightest English prospects of his generation following his excellent performances this season.
He became the third-youngest player to score a Champions League knockout goal this week, with his blistering strike against PSV Eindhoven in Arsenal’s stunning 7-1 win. There is no doubt at the FA that the teenager will become an England regular in the not too distant future.
Indeed, earlier this week former England star Joe Cole, after Nwaneri scored his eighth goal of the season in Eindhoven last Tuesday night, said the teenager is so talented that he should bypass the U-21s and head straight into the senior set-up.
And while that prospect is not being completely dismissed, there remains a view that there is value in easing Nwaneri into senior international football.
Nwaneri has been a key player for Will Antwi’s U-19s during their European Championship qualification games, scoring twice in their three group games so far.
The U-19s face two important qualifiers in March and Nwaneri’s selection would certainly come as a major boost for Antwi ahead of the games versus Wales and Turkey.
However, there is an acceptance that Nwaneri will likely move up the age groups over the next set of international fixtures.
There is a similar situation looming with Nwaneri’s team-mate Myles Lewis-Skelly, who is also in line for an upgrade at international level following his excellent breakthrough season.
