Chelsea supporters couldn’t decide how they felt over Callum Hudson-Odoi’s selection for England’s latest U21 European Championship squad.
The group games take place between March 24 and 31, with the knockout stages arriving in May.
On the one hand, Blues fans were pleased that Hudson-Odoi had been called up to represent his country at international tournament.
On the flip side, some believed he should be part of Gareth Southgate’s senior set-up for England’s World Cup qualifiers this month.
Southgate has previously called up Hudson-Odoi three times for his England side, but not since 2019.
The 20-year-old’s form with Chelsea hasn’t quite warranted him a regular Three Lions inclusion.
Injuries have of course played a part, taking a lot of the shine away from his explosion as one of the countries most talented products.
He is beginning to find his sparkle again thanks to Thomas Tuchel, having been muddied under Frank Lampard.
Hudson-Odoi’s resurgence with Chelsea may have come too late to be recalled by Southgate, but certainly not for Boothroyd.
Plus, the Euros offers a fantastic shop windowsill for many of these bright youngsters to stake a claim for a World Cup spot.
Including Hudson-Odoi, who will be aiming to translate his revised domestic form onto the national stage.
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I, of course, agree that Hudson-Odoi should be with the seniors, but going off with the U21s is not a punishment.
Quite the opposite. He could well force his way into Southgate’s thinking helping bring back international glory to England.
And it means more minutes under his belt, which is always a bonus.
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