Benik Afobe says it was a "no brainer" for him to drop his summer plans and join up with England Under-21s in Czech Republic.
The Wolves striker was named in Gareth Southgate’s long squad for the Euro Finals last month after a fine season in front of goal which saw him net 32 times, but he missed out on the final 23-man squad.
But when the 22-year-old received a call from Southgate on Wednesday evening after a training ground injury ruled Saido Berahino out for the tournament, he was quickly packing his bags again.
Afobe has quickly settled into the U21 squad since arriving in Czech Republic
"The manager spoke to me and just said that we've picked up an injury here, how fit am I and would I like to come and join the group," revealed Afobe, who trained for the first time on Saturday ahead of the game with Sweden.
"It was a no brainer and obviously I'm here now, so I'm happy.
"I've trained today and it was really good, so I'm looking forward to Sunday now.
"No-one wants to come to a tournament and lose, so it was disappointing on Thursday and there’s still two hard games but we do fancy ourselves and we want to start by making it right against Sweden."
It didn’t take the likeable Londoner long to find his feet after arriving at England’s Olomouc base on Friday evening, as he was thrown straight into a group crazy golf competition.
But having spent time on the road with many of the current squad with various England teams over the years, it was like he’d never been away, despite his last cap for the U21s coming in March 2013 ironically against Sweden.
"I've played with a few of these lads in various age groups and I know at least half of the boys here so they've been very welcoming," he told FATV.
"Of course, every footballer’s dream is to play for their country and I’ve been watching this team for the last couple of years.
"Even though I’m 22 now, I knew I was eligible for this competition so it was in the back of my mind and I’m just happy to be here now.
"It's been a couple of difficult seasons for me with injuries and going out on loan and not playing.
"But this season was definitely the breakthrough one for me, I played 51 games and scored 32 goals, so it's been a very enjoyable season and this is a good way to finish it."
Ever since taking his first steps on the international ladder in the Victory Shield with England U16s in 2008, Afobe has enjoyed pulling on the Three Lions.
And he admits that the U17 European title win against Spain in 2010 remains one of his greatest moments in his young career, which was shared with U21 team-mates Jack Butland, Nathaniel Chalobah, Ben Gibson and Luke Garbutt.
Afobe with Harry Kane after a win over France during the U19 Euro Finals in Estonia in 2012
"It’s something that I’ll never forget and will live with me forever," he said.
"We worked hard and there was a great team spirit, like there is here.
"And some of those boys are here now and gone on to have good careers so it just shows how important these U17 and U19 tournaments are.
"We’re just going to try and do our best here and see where it takes us."
