Former Ghana international Charles Taylor has urged Chelsea attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi to focus on his international career with England amid speculation about a possible switch to the West African nation.
Born in England to Ghanaian parents, the 20-year-old is eligible to choose either nation, despite making three senior appearances for the Three Lions.
He recently opened the door for a possible switch of allegiances, going ahead to hold meetings with Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghana Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif and Ghana Football Association president Kurt Okraku.
“If Odoi is listening to me, I will advise him not to think of playing for the Black Stars. He should continue playing for England even if it is under 100, he should play for them than to play for the Black Stars. Ghana is ending its career,” Taylor said on Angel TV.
Under Fifa’s updated rules on eligibility, Hudson-Odoi will be able to switch allegiance to Ghana in November next year should he not add any more appearances to his current three caps for England.
He would have to wait until next year in accordance with regulations which require a player with a senior cap for one nation to wait for three years from his last international appearance to be able to change his association.
“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 winger said earlier this month about his international future.
“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.”
Ghana have also set sights on Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey, Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah and Watford winger Kwadwo Baah, who all currently play for England at youth level, for a possible switch.
