In Focus: Eberechi's England journey anything but Eze

Eberechi Eze is in line to make his senior England debut against Malta on Friday.

The Crystal Palace playmaker, 24, enjoyed a fantastic end to the Premier League season following Roy Hodgson's return to Selhurst Park, bagging six goals in 10 appearances.

That form did not go unnoticed by Gareth Southgate, who could use Eze to fill the void left by the injured Jude Bellingham in the Three Lions' two upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Ahead of tonight's clash, we turn the spotlight on Eze's rocky road to the top.

Thick skin

Eze has already had to overcome his fair share of adversity.

Having been released by Arsenal, Fulham, Reading and Millwall as a youngster, it was QPR who finally opted to offer the Greenwich-born talent a professional contract.

A loan to then League Two outfit Wycombe gave Eze a platform to prove himself and his exploits in Buckinghamshire quickly convinced Ian Holloway to bring him into his Rs first team.  

Two stunning second-tier campaigns at the heart of the West Londoners' midfield — the latter seeing him net 14 goals — prompted Palace to shell out £17million for his services in August 2020.

Highs and lows

It was Hodgson who brought Eze to Palace and the ex-England boss quickly made him the focal point of his Eagles side.

Eze made 34 Premier League appearances in his first season and notched up a respectable 10 direct goal contributions (four goals, six assists).

However, after Patrick Vieira replaced the departing Hodgson that summer, a cruel ACL injury robbed the youngster of any chance to impress his new manager.

By the time Eze regained fitness in November 2021, Vieira's Palace were flying and he found himself restricted to fleeting cameos.

Starting five of the last six games, the consensus was that 2022-23 would see Eze back to his glittering best, but that was not the case — until Hodgson's return.

Roy's revival

By the time Vieira was sacked in March, Eze had failed to complete 90 minutes in 15 straight top-flight outings.

Under Hodgson, he did not miss a minute of Palace's final ten games to help steer his side to safety.

Speaking on the 75-year-old's impact, Eze said: "He has got insane wisdom. It's good to talk to him and hear what he has to say.

"From the first day I met him and Ray [Lewington], they have been improving me as a person and a player. It has opened my eyes to more. I have grown so much because of them.

"I am very grateful to Roy and Ray for all they did helping me to regain form, they helped me massively with performances and my mental state."

England chance

Having rediscovered his best form under one England coach, Eze will now hope to shine under another.

Southgate had nothing but good things to say about the 24-year-old at his most recent squad announcement.

The Three Lions boss said: "He's finished the season really strongly.

"He can play in a couple of positions across that attacking line, he's a goal threat, he's got nice ability and a burst of speed to go past people and to take people out of the game with dribbling skills.

"We're looking forward to seeing him a bit closer and everybody I speak to talks brilliantly about him as a person as well."

With that kind of endorsement, it appears the good times are finally here to stay for Eze.