Chelsea and England attacker, Callum Hudson Odoi
Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi has refused to shut the door on a possible international future with Ghana despite making three appearances for England.
Born in the United Kingdom, the winger, who has been snubbed by England for the upcoming European Championship, is eligible to switch allegiance to the West African nation owing to his Ghanaian parentage.
With three senior outings for the Three Lions already, time is running out for any possible switch as one more appearance for Gareth Southgate’s side will permanently tie him to the country of his birth.
“I think obviously when you’re young, you have the opportunity to play for England throughout all the years, from under 15 to under 16 all the way up,” the 20-year-old, who is currently on holiday in Ghana, said at an event when asked about his international future, Joy Sports has reported.
“When they obviously gave me the opportunity to come I was in the country already. It’s something that I already had in my mind, set on already playing for England.”
“So, it was the thing obviously choosing Ghana or England, and at the end of the day I said I always had the right people around me who always advise me – what’s right, what’s wrong. England came and I said ‘Yeah, let me go and play for my country.
“But I said Ghana is my home as well, so we’ll see, we’ll see. You’ll never know, so,” he said whilst giggling.
After playing for England at various youth levels, Hudson-Odoi, who recently won the Champions League with Chelsea, made his senior debut for the Three Lions as a 70th-minute substitute in a European Championship qualifier against the Czech Republic in March 2019.
Three days later, he won his first start for Southgate’s outfit in a 5-1 victory over Montenegro.
His last senior England appearance came in a 4-0 triumph over Kosovo in November in the same year.
As per current Fifa rules on eligibility, the attacker is allowed to make a switch to Ghana provided he has not played more than three senior matches for England and all the games had come before he turned 21 (on November 7). Also, he can only make an application three years after his last appearance for the nation he wishes to change from.
As per his current international match appearance status, any possible application for a switch can only be made after November 17 next year, just ahead of the 2022 World Cup.
Hudson-Odoi’s father Bismark played for Ghana Premier League leaders Hearts of Oak during his time in the West African country and his brother Bradley represented Ghana at U20 level.