The Ghana FA have reportedly ended their attempts to convince Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah to switch his international allegiance. Nketiah, 23, is eligible to represent Ghana at international level due to having Ghanaian parents and has been considering the switch.
The Arsenal striker is England Under-21s' record goalscorer with 16 goals in 17 appearances, but he's yet to be handed his first cap by Gareth Southgate. With the likes of Harry Kane, Ivan Toney and Tammy Abraham ahead of him, there has been talk that Nketiah could switch his allegiance to Ghana.
However, Nketiah is said to be reluctant about switching, with GHANAsoccernet.com reporting that the FA have halted their pursuit of the striker following several attempts, despite him stating his willingness to represent the Black Stars last year. Ghana, managed by Otto Addo, are said to be keen to have the 23-year-old as part of their squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
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With Nketiah's hesitance over committing his international future to the West African country, it's almost certain that the forward will miss out on the chance of featuring in the tournament - starting November 20. Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams, who appeared for Spain in 2016, made his debut for Ghana earlier this year, whilst Brighton wing-back Tariq Lamptey switched his allegiance from England.
Speaking in April, Nketiah discussed the prospect of the switch to The Beautiful Game Podcast. "My parents are both Ghanaian, so of course, it's a possibility. I am open to both - playing for Ghana or England.
"Like you said, I've played for the youth teams, so naturally, when I was obviously younger, they called me up to go play for them. Being from Ghana, you are obviously happy they have qualified for the World Cup. I know players like [Thomas] Partey, and I am happy for them as well. It's always good to have that opportunity to potentially do that."
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