Arsenal youth duo Karl Hein and Daniel Ballard have received senior international call-ups for the upcoming break once again.

With the international squad announcements continuing this week ahead of the upcoming break, two of Arsenal’s youth players have received senior call-ups.

Centre-back Daniel Ballard, currently on loan with Blackpool, is back in the Northern Ireland squad for the fourth international break in a row.

Ballard hasn’t made a single competitive appearance for the Arsenal first team, but he’s arguably unlucky only to have five caps for his country. He’s been in and around the senior squad since March 2019, but knee surgery limited his chances.

The 21-year-old started three of Northern Ireland’s last four competitive matches in 2020, and it looks like he’s set to continue earning chances with the country in 2021.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Karl Hein is in the Estonia squad again. Like Ballard, Hein is making rapid progress with his country, starting every competitive match for them in the last three international breaks.

At 18 years old, Hein has also been selected as the third-choice goalkeeper for Arsenal’s Europa League matches on plenty of occasions now, including against Dundalk, Molde, Benfica, and Olympiacos.

It’s good to see the duo’s continuing progress rewarded once again.