England's new boy Eddie Nketiah motivated by 'magnificent' Thierry Henry

Eddie Nketiah has hailed the 'magnificent' Thierry Henry for helping him become an Arsenal striker worthy of a senior call-up to England.

The 24-year-old, who is England's most prolific goalscorer at the Under-21 level, has been included in Gareth Southgate's squad for the first time for the upcoming games against Ukraine and England. Scotland.

Nketiah made his Arsenal debut six years ago and his last appearance for the England Under-21s was in 2021.

He scored 34 goals in 136 games for the Gunners, starting with a memorable home debut off the bench against Norwich – netting a brace to secure victory in an EFL Cup tie.

Despite appearing on the scene, Nketiah's options were limited to minor cup competitions and a disappointing loan spell at Leeds in the Sky Bet Championship was seen as another setback.

But, during his early years at Arsenal – which he joined after being released by Chelsea aged 14 – he was able to choose the brains of the all-time top scorer and former captain of the club.

"Thierry has been wonderful to me," he revealed.

“I was able to be coached by him as a freshman at 16, it was amazing, one of my best and most enjoyable seasons, being able to give him his ideas and he gave me a lot of confidence and even today, when I see him, he always supports me and helps me a lot."

Asked about the best advice he received from World Cup winner France, whose old number 14 shirt he now wears, Nketiah replied: "Probably just to believe in yourself.

“He came and saw the quality I had when I was 16 or 17 and said I just needed to believe in myself no matter what other people said. This is what will motivate you, motivate you. This is probably one of the best pieces of advice I've ever received.

"I think he knows what he's talking about, so it's not a bad feeling!"

As he battled for a starting spot under Unai Emery – and now Mikel Arteta – Nketiah saw Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe emerge as the next precocious academy talents off Hale's production line End – the former now a Southgate favourite.

"I'm still young," Nketiah said when asked if he was worried he had missed his own international opportunity.

"Everyone's journey is different. Nowadays, everyone must focus on their own story and their own journey, and not on that of others. Our career paths have been completely different. We had different opportunities at different times.

“I think I’m a much better player now than I was two or three years ago. It's really nice and I'm coming at a good time and a good time.

"I feel confident and I feel ready to keep improving. That's the problem, I'm still young and humble enough to know that I'm not the finished article.

Nketiah could have chosen to change allegiance after Ghana – his parents' birthplace – tried to entice him to play for the Black Stars.

But once the call came, he knew he had made the right decision to stick to his guns.

"I obviously think both sides have always been an option," he added.

"I think, naturally, going through the England academy, you obviously have the aspiration to play here and as I said, once the call-up is over and the offer is on the table, it was very hard to turn down and something that I felt was a natural progression for me at this point.

"I felt it was the right time to take this step, so obviously I'm really happy to be here and proud to be here as I said, hope I can continue and help team this week and get some selections. »