Eddie Nketiah offered the chance to switch international allegiance on the eve of his potential England debut

Eddie Nketiah has been offered the chance to switch his international allegiance ahead of his potential debut for England.

The Arsenal striker was called up to Gareth Southgate's 26-man England squad for international duty and could be in line to make his first ever appearance for the Three Lions against Australia.

However, Nketiah's parents are Ghanaian, and therefore he is also eligible to represent the Black Stars.

Even if Nketiah does play against Australia on Friday, he would still be able to switch countries further down the line.

However, should he feature against both Australia and Italy, the opportunity to switch would be rescinded.

Ghana manager Chris Hughton has already hinted that he is keen for Nketiah to switch his international allegiance, offering him the opportunity to play for his side.

“Some players are very definite about what they want," the former Norwich boss said (via The Sun). "Some are not so sure and some want to see how things develop.

“I think that’s been the case with Eddie. We would never say never on him switching to Ghana.

“But it’s always down to what the player wants.”

Former Arsenal teammate Folarin Balogun made the decision to switch allegiance from England to the United States national team in order to play more regularly.

The 22-year-old has since started his country's last three games, scoring goals against Canada and Oman.

It is no secret that Nketiah would have more opportunities playing for Ghana, with Harry Kane firm favourite to lead England's line for a good few years, yet.

However, Southgate has challenged the forward, along with the other less experienced members of the squad to show him what they can do.

“Our job is to try and alleviate pressure from the team but you have to deliver with England and we have to win matches, so we have got to be good at handling and coping with pressure," the England boss said on Friday. "These boys are more than capable.

“There is no question in my mind. They are fighting against good players and they are younger and less experienced than some of the others.

“[Levi] Colwill and Nketiah, for example, we would not have picked them if we did not think they could not be part of England's future.

“They have got to take it step by step and try to go out and give the best version of themselves."

SPORTbible are on WhatsApp! We've launched a dedicated news channel to send you the latest news, features and plenty more directly on WhatsApp and all you need to do to sign up is click through to our one-way broadcast channel here for 'SPORTbible News' to appear in the 'Updates' tab on your WhatsApp.