“Why would you want to play in the Under-21s?” – Ian Wright supports Callum Hudson Odoi’s decision to snub England U-21 call-up in order to solidify his place at Chelsea

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi snubbed a call from the England U-21 team. The English winger broke into the Chelsea first-team in 2017, but made his first appearance a year later under Maurizio Sarri.

He has gone through a few ups and downs since then with injuries and competition but has now managed to fight back to the top. He is a regular squad member for the Blues and has been in incredible form of late.

With several attackers injured in the Chelsea ranks, Hudson-Odoi was given a run of games. He impressed Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel with his displays before getting a call from the England U-21 set-up. He has one goal and two assists in 11 games for Chelsea this season.

Hudson-Odoi turned it down as he was keen to play for the senior team instead. His decision has now been backed by Arsenal legend Ian Wright, who cited the success of Conor Gallagher as an example.

He told ITV:

“That is the kind of player you want to see, you want to see players of that calibre getting towards the full international squad instead of playing in Under-21s. I would say the same of Callum Hudson-Odoi.”

Wright added:

“He’s broken into the Chelsea side as tough as it is, he’s had a career threatening injury, why would you want to play in the Under-21s? That doesn’t get you into the first team. Playing well for you club like Conor is and like Callum is doing, that is what gets you in there. And it is good to see people like Conor get in there. Hopefully he can continue.”

Hudson Odoi has come under scrutiny for turning down England U-21 call

Hudson-Odoi’s decision to turn down the England U-21 call was met with criticism from several pundits. Former England international Trevor Sinclair said:

“The only one I would say is bad is Hudson-Odoi – and I don’t mean to pick him out. For me, I think that’s quite arrogant. A big part of being a footballer and a big reason why you make it is staying humble.”

He added:

“There’s a lot of ups and downs. When you’re flying, you’re alright, when you’re not doing so well, you’ve got people who have got your back. I think Hudson-Odoi saying that he’s not playing for the Under-21s is poor.”

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Hudson-Odoi staying back at Chelsea was good news for Chelsea as it meant a period of rest for the winger. As expected, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel was happy with Hudson-Odoi’s decision.