Eberechi Eze says it was fate that he suffered a serious injury on the same day as he was called up to the England squad for the first time.
Some Crystal Palace team-mates were in tears on the training ground when Eze suffered a ruptured achilles and, minutes later, then found out he had been selected for Gareth Southgate’s provisional Euro 2020 squad. But two years on, Eze is part of the England squad that will take on Malta and Macedonia in a Euro 2024 qualification double-header.
And despite the cruel timing of an injury that was once career-threatening, Eze said he did not feel bitter at the time. He explained: “In training, we were playing small-sided games and I received the ball and went to push off and I just felt a pop.
“It felt like someone had kicked me or someone behind me had stepped on my ankle but I looked around and no one was there - so I knew it was serious. I had done my injury, gone inside, had an assessment from the doctor who said I had done my achilles. I asked for my phone to tell my wife and saw I had the message that I was in the provisional squad for England.
“Though it is a sad situation … I look at things a bit different. I looked at it as though I was on the right trajectory. I understood I was doing the right thing, I saw it as another hurdle so the focus was to keep going.”
And during his rehabilitation, he was helped by watching the Euro performances of the squad he could have been in. The Palace man went on: “Watching the team was an inspiration, for sure.
“I found myself at peace because I understood I wasn’t meant to be there for whatever reason.”
On the same day as Eze suffered the injury, Roy Hodgson had told the Palace squad that he was stepping down at the end of the season. That was also a blow to Eze, who had blossomed under the guidance of Hodgson and his assistant Ray Lewington.
And the 24-year-old from Greenwich credits the return of the veteran coaching duo for the improvement that has led to Southgate calling him into the England set-up. Eze said: “I am very grateful to Roy and Ray for all they did helping me to regain form - they helped me massively with performances and my mental state.
“Roy has insane wisdom so it is good to hear what he has to say.” It has helped him to the brink of an England debut and that justifies Eze’s decision to turn down an approach from Nigeria.
He said: “I was speaking to the people around me, my family, my wife, getting good advice and thinking what is the best decision for me for my career. I received the call and felt it was the right decision to make and I am happy to be here.
“It’s big. It’s something I have been working towards for a long time, I am just grateful it has happened now and I’m in a position to show myself at this level.”
