Chelsea’s England Under-21 striker Tammy Abraham is urged by Jay Jay Okocha to switch to playing for Nigeria after loan joy with Swansea
The 19-year-old insists he is committed to the Three Lions but Nigerian legend Okocha hopes he changes his mind
NIGERIA legend Jay-Jay Okocha has urged Tammy Abraham to switch allegiance to the African nation.
Abraham, the Chelsea striker on loan at Swansea, insists he remains committed to playing for England – despite meeting Nigeria FA president Amaju Pinnick after the Swans’ draw with Spurs last weekend.
The former England Under 18 and Under 19 forward who has won nine U-21 caps remains eligible to play for the senior Nigeria team through his father.
Former Bolton star Okocha, speaking at Fifa’s announcement of the shortlist for “The Best” awards, said: “Ultimately it is up to him – although clearly we would love Tammy to play for Nigeria as we are building a strong young team.
“We want the best young players that are available and he is clearly part of that group.
“He has to weigh up his options and whether he has a good chance of playing for England, or whether he is better off playing for Nigeria.
“The competition for a place in the England team is very tough because there are a lot of good young players now.
“For me personally I would say he should play for Nigeria as he would have a better chance of going to the World Cup.”
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Abraham explained he met Pinnick because he was a friend of his father.
Okocha added: “It’s all about football and nothing to do with having a family member close to the president of the Nigerian federation.
“If he is not a good player, he won’t be needed, but the bottom line is that he is a very good footballer.”
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