Eddie Nketiah has been called up for Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad for the September internationals, along with three other Arsenal players.

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: Eddie Nketiah of England celebrates scoring to make it 2-0 during the UEFA Euro Under 21 Qualifier match between England U21 and Turkey U21 at Molineux on October 13, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND: Eddie Nketiah of England celebrates scoring to make it 2-0 during the UEFA Euro Under 21 Qualifier match between England U21 and Turkey U21 at Molineux on October 13, 2020. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Gareth Southgate named his latest England squad for the September international break on Thursday, and Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah was a somewhat surprising inclusion in the group.

Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, and Aaron Ramsdale are all mainstays of the England squad, so it was no surprise to see the trio called up again, though there was no spot for Ben White on this occasion.

But 24-year-old Nketiah has never featured in a senior England camp before, despite holding the record as the England u21s’ record goalscorer. This is his first call-up, and a call-up he might feel is a bit overdue.

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: Eddie Nketiah of England celebrates with team mates after making it 2-0 during the UEFA Euro Under 21 Qualifier match between England U21 and Turkey U21 at Molineux on October 13, 2020 in Wolverhampton, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND: Eddie Nketiah of England celebrates with teammates after making it 2-0 during the UEFA Euro Under 21 Qualifier match between England U21 and Turkey U21 at Molineux on October 13, 2020. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

“We’d like to have a look at him,” Southgate said of Nketiah in his press conference. “He’s a young player with a really good pedigree. Very good finisher. It’s good for him to have some time with us.

“He’s, I think, record goalscorer with the [England] u21s as well. So he’s not had the chance to work with us up to this point, he’s a player that we’re really interested in.”

The timing certainly seems to be right, with Nketiah starting the season so strongly.

The striker scored against Nottingham Forest and Fulham in Arsenal’s opening three games of the season, and he won a penalty for Arsenal’s only goal against Crystal Palace.

There’s plenty of competition up front, with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, and Newcastle United’s Callum Wilson all involved in the squad.

But Nketiah will hope he gets a chance to show what he can do, perhaps in the friendly match against Scotland. He’s rarely disappointed when given an opportunity by England before, throughout his youth development.

WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND: Eddie Nketiah of England celebrates after scoring their team's fourth goal during the UEFA Euro Under 21 Qualifier match between England U21 and Albania U21 at Molineux on November 17, 2020. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND: Eddie Nketiah of England celebrates after scoring their team’s fourth goal during the UEFA Euro Under 21 Qualifier match between England U21 and Albania U21 at Molineux on November 17, 2020. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

England face Ukraine in a Euro 2024 qualifier on Saturday, September 9th at 17:00 BST, then Scotland in a friendly on Tuesday, September 12th at 19:45 BST.