Southgate refuses to be bullied into picking Hudson-Odoi in England squad

Gareth Southgate will refuse to be bullied into picking Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Chelsea winger Hudson-Odoi, 20, is seen as one of English football's brightest young stars but has fallen off Southgate's radar and was not considered for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers with Andorra and Hungary.

England under-21 boss Lee Carsley also left him out of his latest squad after Hudson-Odoi turned down the chance to play for the under-21s last month to remain at Chelsea and fight for his place.

However, Hudson-Odoi has also been heavily linked with a call-up from Ghana as he is eligible to play for them through parentage.

Ghana have been courting Hudson-Odoi but under FIFA rules on changing nationality the earliest he could switch and play for them would be November 2022 which gives little time before the World Cup.

Hudson-Odoi could receive a call-up from Ghana if his chances with England remain slim ( Image:

UEFA via Getty Images)

There can be no doubt he has been left frustrated at being demoted from the senior squad back to the under-21s and now Ghana are trying to seize an opportunity.

London-born Hudson-Odoi has represented England through the age groups, was part of the under-17s World Cup winning squad and has won three senior caps.

But Hudson-Odoi has not featured for Southgate's seniors since November 2019 and, while injuries have played a part, he has gone backwards in international terms.

There is now a threat he could defeat and represent Ghana who are making overtures but England are determined not to be forced into picking him to stop him playing for another nation.

Southgate has an abundance of wingers to choose from

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Hudson-Odoi has been in and out under Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea and the Blues boss did question the player's decision not to join up with the under-21s when asked back in August.

Carsley insists that Hudson-Odoi is still committed to England and has no long term concerns about the player's future, insisting that he wants to stay at Chelsea and work on his game.

Carsley said last week: "We have spoken to him to see how he's getting on and how he is feeling, so has Gareth so there's no real change there."

But Hudson-Odoi knows that he is stuck in a long queue for places in the wide areas with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

It is hard to see Hudson-Odoi getting back in any time soon while he has also been heavily linked with moves away from Chelsea with interest from both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the past.

But Southgate wants to see how Hudson-Odoi - seen as one of the jewels in the crown of the under-17s age group which also included Sancho, Phil Foden and Emile Smith-Rowe - reacts to this set back.

Southgate also insisted last week that he decided to leave Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham and Mason Greenwood out of his latest squad.

The two young stars are both seen as major talents for England's future but Southgate claims United forward Greenwood and Bellingham might be better served by staying with the clubs, recharging in the international break and coming back further down the line.

Greenwood is now 20, Bellingham is starring every week for Dortmund and playing in the Champions League so it still seems a strange decision.