‘He has insane wisdom’: Eberechi Eze says he has Roy Hodgson to thank for his England call-up after the Crystal Palace star’s brilliant end to the season
- Eze has received his first England call-up for the European qualifiers this month
- He has worked under Hodgson twice and played his best football for the veteran
- The midfielder is now looking to make his international debut on Friday
Crystal Palace attacker Eberechi Eze believes Roy Hodgson’s ‘insane wisdom’ has played a key role in propelling him into the England squad.
Two years after he was cruelly robbed of his first international call-up as a result of an Achilles injury, Eze has joined up with England following his breakthrough call-up and is hopeful of making his debut against Malta on Friday.
Gareth Southgate had originally called up Eze to be in his provisional squad for the delayed European Championships in 2021 – the attacker famously receiving confirmation of his inclusion just minutes after suffering his freak injury in training.
An international call-up looked unlikely earlier this year when he lost his place in the Palace team under Patrick Vieira.
But the Frenchman’s sacking and subsequent return of Hodgson, who originally signed Eze for Palace in 2020, rejuvenated the attacker, eventually resulting in his England call-up.
Eberechi Eze has credited Roy Hodgson’s ‘insane wisdom’ as a key factor in his England call-up
Hodgson’s (right) return to Crystal Palace helped rejuvenate Eze’s (left) form this season
He is now pushing to make his England debut in their European Championship qualifiers
‘He [Hodgson] has been very helpful, advising me all the time. He has insane wisdom so it is good to hear what he has to say,’ said Eze.
‘I am very grateful to Roy and Ray [Lewington] for all they did helping me to regain form, they helped me massively with performances and my mental state.
‘Day to day seeing him around the place and how he talks to each individual player, it has helped me so much.
‘The influence he had on the players, the mindset, the confidence, the freedom – it was something we hadn’t experienced for a little while so I am hugely grateful.’
Gareth Southgate selected Eze for his provisional European Championship squad two years ago only for the Crystal Palace star to pull out after after a freak injury during training
