Nketiah: Arsenal striker places Ghana and England on alert with World Cup interest

Arsenal attacker Edward Nketiah has revealed he is open to a switch of international allegiance from England to Ghana ahead of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Born to Ghanaian parents in London, the 22-year-old striker remains eligible to feature for either nation at senior level despite representing his country of birth at youth stage.

Talks of a change of international preference have increased after the Black Stars beat rivals Nigeria to secure a ticket for the upcoming World Cup where they have been drawn against Portugal, Uruguay and South Korea.

“My parents are both Ghanaian, so of course, it’s a possibility. I am open to both – playing for Ghana or England,” Nketiah told The Beautiful Game podcast.

“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.”

Nketiah is one of three England youth internationals on Ghana’s radar for the World Cup, the others being Brighton & Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey and Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Out of contract with Arsenal at the end of the season, however, Nketiah has set his sights on first sorting out his club future before deciding his international career.

“My club situation [out of contract at the end of the season] is the priority,” said the forward.

“At the moment, my full focus is on my club [Arsenal] and making sure I sort out things for next season.

“Once that’s finished, then I can really sit down with my family and have that discussion. So it’s open to both [countries] and I am not closing the door to anything.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to do so.”

Nketiah has seen limited game time at Arsenal this season, making only 14 appearances in the Premier League.

The frontman, who has five goals in five League Cup appearances this term, made his first Premier League start for The Gunners against Southampton on Saturday, lasting for the entire duration of the game.