Eddie Nketiah awarded by England for U-21 record

Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah has been presented with a golden boot for being England U21 all-time top scorer.

The English-born Ghanaian broke Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers’ long-standing record of 13 goals after scoring against Turkey in 2020. He went on to set a new record with 16 goals in 17 games for the young Three Lions.

Nketiah's international future has been heavily debated in the media as the Ghana Football Association try to persuade him to switch allegiance.

“Wow. I am grateful for the award and to everyone at the FA. I loved my time being there [with the Under-21s] and working with the boys in training. I improved so much," said Nketiah after receiving the award.

“I am grateful and hopefully there are more achievements to come in the future.”

English FA representative, Michael Johnson said: "On behalf of the FA, Gareth [Southgate] and the technical director [John McDermott], I just want to say a massive congratulations to you.

“To break Alan Shearer and Franny Jeffers’ record is not a little thing so this is a small token to show that you are now the all-time goalscoring record holder for the Under-21s. It is a massive achievement and thoroughly deserved.”

Recognising England Under-21s' all-time record goalscorer ????

We ❤️ this, @EddieNketiah9 ???? pic.twitter.com/MqpBy5gvpG

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) January 13, 2023