Queens Park Rangers director of football Les Ferdinand has backed Eberechi Eze for an England call-up following his outstanding form this season.

Eze has scored 12 goals and provided eight assists in the league this season, attracting attention from Premier League clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace in the process.

The 21-year-old has been capped by England at under-20 and under-21 level, but would also be eligible to play for Nigeria and has trained with their national team.

Speaking in an interview Sky Sports, Ferdinand said: "A lot of the time you need to be in the Premier League to be recognised but he has shown the kind of form and, if he continues to develop in the way he is developing and keeps showing the type of football he has been playing, he is certainly going to put himself in the frame.

“People are going to start talking about him playing for England.

“We have got a few young players coming through the system now who we are really excited about.

“They are helping us in our campaign this season to finish as high up the league as we possibly can.”

Ferdinand has previously stated that the R's could be forced to sell Eze this summer as they still look to recover from the £17m fine they were hit with in 2018.

The verdict

Eze is a star for the future and it would be a real boost if he decides to pledge his allegiance to the England national team.

There have been similar debates over Declan Rice and Jack Grealish in recent years and ultimately the decision must be the players', but Eze is not far away from a call-up purely on form.

If he moves to the Premier League over the summer, do not be surprised to see his name in the discussion for a debut cap.