Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey has turned down an invitation from the England Under-21 team to play in their upcoming Euro qualifiers against Czech Republic, Albania, Kosovo and Slovenia.
This was disclosed by the head coach of the Young Lions, Lee Carsley on Wednesday May 25, 2022.
Carsley told the press that the 21-year-old
Read full articlefull back has asked to be left out of the squad as he considers switching nationality to Ghana.
He however clarified that Tariq Lamptey has not made a definite decision on the matter and that he is hopeful that the former Chelsea youngster will pick England over Ghana.
"There’s an issue over his dual nationality. He’s had an approach. It’s something he’s considering at the minute. He’s asked to be left out of the squad for a bit of head space. He’s not switched, it’s not cemented or anything like that. “But he’s had an approach (from Ghana), we have to respect that.
“We’ve made it clear how important we see him to us. I know the seniors have as well. It’s not something that we’ve given up on. Tariq is fully aware of how important we see him.”
Carsley added: “I’ve definitely got to give him a bit of space now. We’ve got a squad of players there that are desperate to play for England. I wouldn’t want to leave one out to bring one in that’s unsure, I don’t think that’s fair.
“But the opposite to that is Tariq is a big player for us and we see a real future for him within the pathway, so I’ll definitely be going back to him. He would be a big loss. We do have some really good right-backs but that doesn’t mean we should become blasé about our players. We see Tariq as an important player for not potentially only the senior team but the 21s as well.”
The Ghana Football Association are working around the clock to have Hudson-Odoi, Eddie Nketiah, Tariq Lamptey and a host of other players switch nationality and represent Ghana.
Reports indicate that Tariq Lamptey and Eddie Nketiah have already agreed to represent the country at the expense of England.
Hudson-Odoi, on the other hand has agreed but is only eligible to play for Ghana in November.
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Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey
