Eddie Nketiah has reflected on how being released by Chelsea as a youngster helped make himself and Arsenal teammate Declan Rice the players they are today.
Now the most expensive English footballer of all time, having joined Arsenal for £105m during the summer, Rice was actually released by Chelsea aged 14 before joining West Ham's academy.
Forward Nketiah tread a similar path as Rice, also let go Chelsea at youth level, but is now on the cusp of being an England international - called up by Gareth Southgate to the senior squad for the first time ahead of England's clash with Ukraine this week.
Speaking about his journey from Chelsea to now, Nketiah insisted that being let go by a club at such a young age helped himself and Rice become better players.
"It is funny how life works sometimes," he said. "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 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.
"Declan 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. 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."
Nketiah is in line to make his England debut during the international break, having impressed early on in the 2023/24 season - scoring two key goals for the Gunners.
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This article was originally published on 90min as How Eddie Nketiah and Declan Rice were motivated by Chelsea release.
