Ethan Nwaneri followed Nigeria's official Instagram account, and Super Eagles fans immediately went into a frenzy. The 19-year-old Arsenal midfielder, currently on loan at Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, has Nigerian heritage through his father, and that one social media move was all it took to send speculation about his international future into overdrive.
Born in London on March 21, 2007, to a Nigerian father and an English-French mother, Nwaneri is eligible to represent three countries. He has pulled on the England shirt at youth level, from the U16 all the way through to the U21 side, but he has never made a competitive senior appearance for the Three Lions. Under FIFA eligibility rules, that means a switch to the Super Eagles is still very much on the table.
Nigerian fans are hoping he joins what feels like an exciting wave of young talent coming into the fold. The idea of Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle landing a player of Nwaneri's profile would be a serious statement of intent for the program.
For now though, neither Nwaneri, the Nigeria Football Federation, nor anyone from his camp has confirmed anything. It is all speculation, and one Instagram follow is a long way from a FIFA switch request. Still, the fact that everyone is watching his next move so closely says everything about how much Nigeria wants him.
Originally published by NotJustOk.