England boss Gareth Southgate won’t force himself to select Callum Hudson-Odoi

England boss Gareth Southgate will not be under any pressure to select Callum Hudson-Odoi despite the looming prospect of losing the talented Chelsea star to Ghana.

The case of Hudson-Odoi’s international career is curious. The Football Association knows of Ghana’s plot to convince him to play for the Black Stars.

Yet Southgate – at least as it is – has no desire to select Hudson-Odoi; the England boss didn’t want to pick a footballer just because of the threat of losing him to a rival nation.

“I try to respect a team that led us to the final [of Euro 2020], don’t make too many changes to that and make sure the young players really have to earn their entry, ”Southgate said last week.

The case is complicated by the fact that Hudson-Odoi would no longer be eligible for Ghana if he were to play one more game for England.

Nonetheless, there is a feeling within the FA that Hudson-Odoi’s roster with Ghana is, perhaps, a way to call the England bluff.

If so, it seems unlikely that Southgate will fall for the trap.

Hudson-Odoi remains eligible for those under 21; playing under Lee Carsley would strongly reaffirm his position as an English player – if he wants to, of course.

Still, he was conspicuous by his absence from England’s Under-21 party last week, an omission that raised questions about his involvement in the FA given that Hudson-Odoi had already turned down a summons in August.

Perhaps it’s understandable that Hudson-Odoi doesn’t want to be considered for the Under-21s. Having already made three senior appearances for England, he may think the resignation would be detrimental.

Nonetheless, his apparent reluctance to be taken into consideration is unlikely to increase his chances of reverting to Southgate’s plans.

That’s not to say there are issues between the England boss and Hudson-Odoi – lines of communication remain open between the pair with Southgate who have reportedly been in contact with the Chelsea academy graduate these last few weeks.

But at the same time, Southgate believes he hasn’t seen enough of Hudson-Odoi to warrant a recall. It is difficult to dispute the logic of the English boss.

Mason Greenwood and Jude Bellingham, who have played a lot more football than Hudson-Odoi so far this season, have also been left out of the Southgate squad to face Andorra and Hungary in the coming days.

So far, Hudson-Odoi has only played 147 minutes of Premier League football.

Everything therefore points to a career with Ghana, which has clearly expressed its intentions.

The nation rolled out the red carpet for the Chelsea star during the winger’s holiday in Ghana over the summer recess, when he met President Nana Akufo-Addo, Sports Minister Mustapha Ussif and the boss of the Football Association Kurt Okraku.

Under FIFA rules, Hudson-Odoi cannot change allegiance until November 2022 – three years after his last selection for England.

However, there is doubt that this would allow Ghana to register the international change of Hudson-Odoi in time for him to be available for the World Cup – which begins on November 21.

Arguably his road to Qatar 2022 may well be easier under the aegis of England. That’s, of course, assuming he wants to play for England.