Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah says it’s a ‘dream come true’ after overtaking Alan Shearer and Francis Jeffers to become England U21’s top scorer.
Nketiah missed a penalty in the 84th minute before quietly scoring a record 14th goal at this level four minutes later as England beat Turkey 2-1 on Tuesday night.
The victory allowed England to reserve their place at next year’s U21 European Championships.
Nketiah, 21, said: “It’s an incredible feeling. Getting the record and standing alongside these names and players is a dream come true.
“It is a proud moment for me and my family. I hope I can add to this total as well.
England U21 manager Aidy Boothroyd added to BT Sport: “Eddie Nketiah is in esteemed company with Alan Shearer.
“He’s a great player and I really think that if he can have the career Alan had, he will have done it really well!” ”
England took the lead in Molineux thanks to a home goal of Huseyin Turkmen, who was deflected from Ryan Sessegnon’s cross.
Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale impressed for England, preventing Halil Dervisoglu’s penalty, but the Turkish forward got consolation late.
Commenting on England’s performance, Boothroyd said: “I’m happy that we have qualified but as a group we can do better than what we have shown.
“I thought that tonight we had not shown the football that we are used to seeing regularly. There were extracts from it, but we must pay tribute to the adversaries.
“In terms of DIY, I have a really good idea of the core of the team. November (final qualifying matches) is a key time for us to bring the guys together and make sure we are even better in our preparation and even better in our performances and finishing qualifying on a high.
The group stages of the U21 European Championships will take place in March and the knockout stage will be played from May 31 to June 6.
Nketiah has made 43 appearances for Arsenal’s first team, appearing in all four of the Gunners’ Premier League appearances so far this season.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side face Manchester City this weekend.
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