Declan Rice and Eddie Nketiah are in the England squad together for the first time (Picture: Getty Images)
Eddie Nketiah says his release from Chelsea at 14 years old made him more determined, a fate also suffered by Declan Rice as the pair are now reunited at Arsenal and England.
Both Nketiah and Rice were in the academy at Chelsea but were let go as teenagers, with the former joining the Gunners and the latter going to West Ham.
Thanks to £105m, the striker and midfielder are now club teammates again as Rice arrived at Arsenal over the summer for the enormous fee.
And thanks to impressive early-season form from Nketiah they are now international teammates as the forward has been called up to the England squad for the first time, where Rice has resided for some years already.
Reflecting on his release from Chelsea 10 years ago, Nketiah believes it has helped him mentally ever since, adding determination and motivation to succeed.
‘I think it did [make me more determined]. I was there from the ages of nine and 14 and it came as a shock to me because I was doing well at the time,’ said the 24-year-old.
‘Declan [Rice] was of that age group as well and had a similar experience. I think it gives you an awakening and just knowing that things can change like that – that you can lose everything you have worked for.
‘It gives you that extra bit of motivation and resilience when times are hard. I’m able to dig a level deeper than maybe some people can or don’t want to go into. It’s all part of the experience.
Rice and Nketiah celebrate Arsenal’s win over Manchester United together (Picture: Getty Images)
‘Some boys might not have experienced it but then they will have had lows in their careers. This was my journey and it has helped me by who I am today.’
On his similar tale to Rice, he added: ‘It is funny how life works sometimes. We have done the full 360 to be back together. We had different journeys to get here, but we are all on the same path for club and country.’
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‘I think it gives you an awakening.’