'Injury moulded me and helped me become person I am today'

Crystal Palace and England forward Eberechi Eze has said the serious injury that potentially cost him a place at Euro 2020 has "shaped" him and helped him earn a spot at his first major tournament this summer.

Eze, who turns 26 on Saturday, injured his Achilles on the same day he found out he was in Gareth Southgate's provisional squad for Euro 2020 three years ago. He was out of action for several months and it was not until June 2023 that he made his international debut.

Eze has experienced setbacks in football - he spent time with several different clubs as a youngster before making his breakthrough at QPR - but, in an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, he said that injury was the biggest of his career to date.

He said: "It takes a different type of mental strength to come through that because you become very isolated, you're on your own, you've got to find a new gear from somewhere and you haven't experienced this before, so that's probably the most difficult thing. But you deal with rejection and failure throughout your whole career."

Eze, who has made one substitute appearance for England at Euro 2024, added: "It's the stuff that happens in the past that sort of creates the journey and makes you appreciate things more when they do come.

"That was a tough period for me, never having experienced an injury before and having to deal with it in that way. It was difficult but, again, I'm grateful for the fact that it did happen and it shaped me.

"I feel like it's moulded me and helped me become the person I am today."