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‘Choose Ghana if you won’t feature regularly for England’ – George Boateng advises Hudson-Odoi

Aston Villa U-23 coach <a href="https://www.pulse.com.gh/sports/football/jordan-ayew-needs-support-not-criticism-george-boateng/2hh2e2k">George Boateng</a> has advised <a href="https://www.pulse.com.gh/sports/football/callum-hudson-odoi-chelsea-star-advised-to-follow-his-heart-on-nationality-switch/lqyg9ln">Callum Hudson-Odoi</a> to switch nationality to play for Ghana if he won’t get enough game time with England.
‘Anything can happen’: Callum Hudson-Odoi hints at playing for Ghana in future
‘Anything can happen’: Callum Hudson-Odoi hints at playing for Ghana in future

The Ghanaian-born ex-Netherlands international believes Hudson-Odoi is too good to be underutilised at international level.

“My advice would be that if you don’t see a future there [England] for you to play regular football, [then consider Ghana] because let’s not make a mistake here, Hudson-Odoi is an outstanding world-class footballer,” Boateng told Citi Sports.

“He is only going to get better and it will be a shame if he only ends up having five or six caps for England and doesn’t make a final tournament like a World Cup or European Championship ever in his career."

Aston Villa second team coach, George Boateng

Aston Villa second team coach, George Boateng

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Hudson-Odoi is currently a target of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), who want him to switch nationality to play for the Black Stars.

The Chelsea star arrived in Ghana earlier in June and spent a week fraternising with the locals and meeting some key people.

The 20-year-old has Ghanaian parents and his father, Bismark Odoi, played for Ghana Premier League giants Hearts of Oak in the 90s before relocating to England.

While in Ghana, he paid a courtesy call on President Nana Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, where the possibility of a nationality switch was discussed.

He also met with the Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, and the President of the GFA, Kurt Okraku to discuss the same issue.

Despite featuring three times for England, Hudson-Odoi is still eligible to play for Ghana in 2022 due to a change in eligibility rules by FIFA.

Boateng believes the Chelsea winger stands a better chance of playing at the World Cup if he plays for Ghana.

“But the possibility of representing Ghana and playing at the World Cup stage in a team with top-class players and if he plays for Ghana, it will send out a message to many other players, who would want to play for Ghana,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Hudson-Odoi has indicated that his doors are open for a possible nationality switch from England to Ghana in the future.

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