Folarin Balogun and Emile Smith Rowe are shining on England u21 duty, with a couple of goal contributions each in their opening games.

Arsenal have two players in the England u21 camp for the current international break, and they’ve arguably been the most influential players in England’s two wins so far.

England are playing qualifiers for the 2023 UEFA European u21 Championship at the moment, and Folarin Balogun and Emile Smith Rowe both received call-ups for this month.

Smith Rowe ended up scoring a vicious strike for the opening goal in England’s win over the Czech Republic last Friday, picking up the Player of the Match award in a vital 2-1 victory. The Czech Republic are England’s key competition to win the group.

Smith Rowe then combined with Balogun for the opening goal in the second game against Albania, winning the ball off a defender before squaring to his Arsenal teammate to finish.

Balogun scored a second goal with a close-range header to double the scoreline, and the match finished 3-0 to England.

20-year-old Balogun has been vital for the England u21s in their recent Euro qualification matches, scoring six goals in their last five qualifiers.

As a result, England sit top of the group needing just one more point from their final two games to secure qualification.

Balogun’s form obviously raises questions about his Arsenal future, with the Gunners on the hunt for a striker this summer. Speaking after the game, the youngster suggested he’s not making any decisions before having a conversation with his manager.

“When I get back to Arsenal I will like to sit down with the manager and see what he thinks and we will decide what is best,” Balogun said.

“I know that everyone will like to know what I will do next but I would like to speak to him first and we can come to a conclusion.”