Callum Hudson-Odoi, 22, has abruptly changed his mind about playing for his country, and he now hopes to be called up to the England team. Hudson-Odoi, a London native, started playing for England at the Under 16 level and went on to earn 3 caps for the 3 Lions in 2019.
Since then, he hasn’t played for the national team, and for declining to join the under-21 squad in 2021, he’s drawn criticism. Because of his Ghanaian ancestry and recent special trip there, Hudson-Odoi appears to have changed his international allegiance. The Chelsea winger would be eligible to play for Ghana under the new FIFA regulations because he had England caps before turning 21.
He opted not to complete the required paperwork to alter his nationality, hence he was excluded from their 55-man preliminary team. Currently playing successfully on loans for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga, the 22-year-old intends to keep his options open moving forward in case he receives a call-up.
The Evening Standard claims that Hudson-Odoi, who still believes he has a future with England, has rejected their efforts ahead of the World Cup. When Hudson-Odoi met with the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, he was eager to persuade him to change.
Speaking before about his career abroad, Hudson-Odoi said, “When they basically gave me the chance to come, I had already arrived in the country. I already had it all out in my head that I would play for England.
Therefore, there was a clear choice between Ghana and England, and at the conclusion of the day, I remarked that I always had the correct people in my life who constantly gave me advice on what was right and wrong. When England arrived, I pleaded with them to let me play for my nation. However, as I previously stated, Ghana is also my home, so time will tell. You can never be sure.
He must provide an explanation for his choice in a statement, which will be devastating to manager Otto Addo.
Eddie Nketiah, an Arsenal striker, finally decided against representing Ghana, but Brighton right-back Tariq Lamptey and Athletic Bilbao’s Inaki Williams will compete for the Black Stars in Qatar.
When Hudson-Odoi made his debut and continued to make his first start 3 days later, he created history by being the youngest player to represent England in a competitive match.
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