“Pushing for a place”- 20-year-old Chelsea starlet given hope of international game time by England boss

Chelsea ace Callum Hudson-Odoi provided fresh hope of game-time by Gareth Southgate

According to a press conference done by Gareth Southgate (h/t The Independent), Chelsea ace Callum Hudson-Odoi could have a way back into the international setup.

The 20-year-old has suffered for game-time at Stamford Bridge since the start of last season. Although youth was afforded an opportunity during Frank Lampard’s first season in charge of the Blues, a lot of it changed last season when the West London club spent £200million on players, including Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech. 

There was some hope for game-time for Hudson-Odoi after Thomas Tuchel started the youngster during his first game in charge, but the Englishman failed to nail down a starting role under the German boss. 

Hudson-Odoi also recently passed up the opportunity to play with the England-U21s so as to remain at the London club and continue his development under Tuchel. The German boss was, however, straightforward about the situation saying the youngster will have to ‘deal with the consequences.’

England manager Gareth Southgate has also weighed in on the situation while also admitting that the U21s could be an important part of his development. He said (h/t The Independent):

“I think Callum was in the team at Chelsea at a time when we felt he was pushing for a place in our squad”.

“At his club at the moment, it looks as though he’s going to play in certain matches as a wing-back, and it’s going to be more challenging to get in that front three at Chelsea now that Lukaku is there as well, so I think the Under-21s can be an important part of his development… We are tracking Callum, he’s a player we know can be a top player and he’s still so young.”

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Although the Englishman started the UEFA Super Cup final for the Blues, he has remained an unused substitute in the club’s three Premier League games. Thus, it remains to be seen how much game-time the 20-year-old can churn out this season at Stamford Bridge.