Arsenal youngster Malcolm Ebiowei has received his first call-up for Nigeria, giving his word he’ll join the team ahead of the 2019 FIFA u17 World Cup, according to reports.

Omari Hutchinson (L), Khayon Edwards and Malcolm Ebiowei (R) (Photo via Instagram / OmariHutchinson10)
Omari Hutchinson (L), Khayon Edwards and Malcolm Ebiowei (R) (Photo via Instagram / OmariHutchinson10)

AllNigeriaSoccer report that the Nigeria Football Federation sent their first invitation letter to Ebiowei earlier this month, ahead of the 2019 FIFA u17 World Cup in October.

Nigeria wanted the 15-year-old to join the u17 team for trials this month ahead of the tournament, and Ebiowei gave his word he would link up with them in Abuja.

Ebiowei plays as an attacking midfielder or a forward with Arsenal, and he’s been in good form lately. Over the weekend he scored one and set up three more as Arsenal u16s defeated Aston Villa 5-0. The youngster also scored against Bayern u17s recently:

Clearly, Nigeria are keen to get their foot in the door, considering England and the Netherlands also have a claim to Ebiowei’s international future. The midfielder has played for the Netherlands’ u15 side and England’s u16s (when he was just 14) in the past.

It seems Nigeria are gaining an edge though, particularly as the player has the country’s flag on his Instagram page:

Malcolm Ebiowei's Instagram bio
Malcolm Ebiowei’s Instagram

Another member of the Arsenal academy, Zach Awe, is with the England u16s this week. The tall defender helped his country keep a clean sheet against Denmark in a 2-0 win on Sunday, and he could be set to feature again with the side on Thursday.