Eberechi Eze Going…Going…to England’s Three Lions

*Gareth Southgate May list him in Provisional list of 55 players for Qatar 2022

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria is on the verge of losing another potential Super Eagles player to England’s Three Lions as Gareth Southgate is believed to name England-born Nigerian forward, Eberechi Eze, in his provisional squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

According to FIFA guidelines for the first World Cup in the Middle East starting on November 20, coaches of all the qualified 32 teams must submit a preliminary selection of minimum of 35 (maximum of 55) players for the tournament tomorrow as they begin the process of finalising their squads for the finals in Qatar

UK’s Daily Mail reported yesterday that following Eze’s brilliant form for  Crystal Palace in the Premier League, he’s back on Southgate’s radar.

Southgate is due to name an extended squad of up to 55 players, which will then be reduced to 26 ahead of the tournament, by Friday.

The newspaper reported that Eze is on course to be named in Southgate’s provisional squad for the World Cup alongside team-mates Marc Guehi and Tyrick Mitchell.

Southgate has never hidden his love for the player with Nigerian ancestry and 

is a big fan of Eze. He has been monitored his performances with a view to naming him in the senior squad, reports Daily Mail.

Eze was picked in Southgate’s provisional 33-man squad for the European Championships last year – but an Achilles rupture robbed him of the chance of being named in the full party.

But having proved to Southgate that he is over the long-term injury, the former Queens Park Rangers star is back in international contention.

It remains to be seen whether Eze can do enough to break into Southgate’s final 26-man squad for Qatar, which is expected to be named on November 10.

There is huge competition in the attacking areas and it is likely Eze will have to rely on injuries to have a realistic chance of making the final cut.

Nevertheless, his re-emergence into Southgate’s thinking is likely to see Eze handed his first international call-up sooner rather than later.

Eze has only played for the England U-20 and U-21 teams. He will be joining the likes of Tammy Abraham, Bukayo Saka, Charlton Cole, Gabriel Agbonlahor, John Salako, Ugo Ehiogu and John Fashanu who preferred the country of their birth to Nigeria.