Callum Hudson-Odoi refused a spot in the England Under-21 side to focus on Chelsea
According to Football.london, Callum Hudson-Odoi refused a place in the English U-21 squad in order to fight for a starting position at Chelsea.
The 20-year-old is a promising talent and has made four appearances across all competitions for the club this season. He appeared to be on his way to Borussia Dortmund on loan in the summer only for Thomas Tuchel to veto the switch.
The youngster is coming off a fairly decent season that saw him play 37 matches across all competitions. He scored and assisted five goals apiece. While it is not a spectacular return, Hudson-Odoi has age on his side to up his game.
Despite showing immense potential on the big stage early in his career, injuries have largely prevented him from staking a claim in the Blues XI. He will hopefully experience better fortunes in the years to come.
The report goes on to suggest that Lee Carsley, England’s U-21 coach, and Gareth Southgate are continuously monitoring Hudson-Odoi’s progress. Carsley further spoke about the situation with the 20-year-old Chelsea player
“Callum will stay back at Chelsea and try to get into the team there. We spoke to him to see how he was getting on and feeling. So has Gareth. There’s been no real change there.”
There have also been suggestions that Hudson-Odoi is keen to represent Ghana at the international level. Carsley went on to add that as of yet there is no such clarity on the issue and that the player remains committed to England.
“As far as we’re concerned Callum is still commited to England. We look forward to having him back at some point.”
Whichever nation he chooses to represent, we hope the youngster goes on to fulfil his potential at Chelsea. There is a special player in there and it remains to be seen if he can be awakened.
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It is no mean task to break into the Chelsea starting lineup given the talent at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal. Hopefully, Hudson-Odoi will take it as a challenge and do his best to upset the applecart. Given his raw ability, we would not bet against him doing just that.