English players Dual Nationality thread #2

Chelsea's Ben Elliott has been called up by Cameroon at senior level.

 

Even though it does seem a bit wild but I don’t think it will hurt us. I mean I don’t think he’s played for our age groups since U16 level and he’s 20 now. Cameroon like most African Counties are now really targeting Dual players aggressively these days.

 

To be honest I don't even remember him so Marcho is most likely right.

 

Chelsea's Genesis Antwi has been called up to a Sweden U16 training camp. Played for England at the same level last year.

 

Manchester United's Mason Greenwood turns down Jamaica international approach despite seeing hopes of an England recall extinguished

https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/man...ernational-england-recall/blt8ecb8c61eda43d8c

 

I don't think there's any chance on Earth that Southgate would call up Greenwood.

 

I'd still call him up, personally. Call me old fashioned but I was always brought up to believe that you are entitled to a fair trial and if you are found innocent, that should be the end.

If he's innocent, why can't he be picked?

 

Why would anyone think he was innocent? There has been no trial. We heard the recording. The only reason he's free to walk the streets is because the girl wouldn't cooperate with the police.

 

I'm all for the innocent and until proven guilty. But the recordings are very damning. Also he didn't really give a shit about England anyway. On his first senior callup he was more interested in getting his leg over and then turned down every u21 callup after that. I doubt he'll play for Utd again nevermind England.

 

I don't think that Greenwood was ducking call ups as such. It was agreed with Southgate that he would stay at the club because they knew there were issues there with him in his personal life. Southgate gave quite a cryptic interview about it one time which enraged United fans but made sense after.

 

I find it interesting that she's now pregnant with his baby and is back with him.
Does this not insinuate that the charges were fabricated?

 

Fabricated? Have you heard any of the recordings? The charges have been dropped because shes refusing to testify against him.

 

I think you're being hard on her. If she wanted to she could milk the situation and make a load of money that way. She probably still cares for him and love makes people do stupid things especially when you are young.

 

It’s actually following a common pattern of domestic abuse.

 

there was also other new evidence as well as her refusing to testify

 

I don't think she could make as much as you think she might public interest would fade quite quickly as she's not a celeb and he is still a minor footballer

 

Come on her story would be on every front page. As for him being a minor footballer, all they have to do is put "ex England footballer" in the headline.

 

Yeah it’s a one off payment Greenwood will play again and will be highly paid for doing so, he’ll earn more for them than she’d get

 

I think it's the right decision. England seems permanently off the table. The negative stigma of what he did just seems too strong for a full England international to weather, not sure even strong EPL form would save him (and that's assuming he even gets to play EPL ball again - this isn't a given right now). But that doesn't mean flying across the world right now to go play for Jamaica in the Gold Cup makes sense.

Personally, I don't know that he particularly cares for the concept of representing Jamaica or feels especially strongly about it. But let's assume, for the sake of illustration, that he did feel that way. Even then, now isn't the right time. The man is just recently 21 coming off a massive, nearly career-ending incident, and has no idea precisely how his footballing career will continue. He'll almost certainly play professionally going forward, but where? Which clubs will embrace the PR storm/just not care about it? If none of them are in England, how far does he have to travel? Turkey? Poland? Middle East? East Asia? And how do things end with United? Maybe they don't actually end, and he's back in the first team somehow? But whats the path to that (if it exists)? Way too many questions.

Also, there's now a baby on the way (due in summer, which further solidifies the case against playing for Jamaica, because that's when the Gold Cup that they're calling him up for will be held).

He needs to fix his life, mature as a human, and get his career back on solid footing before international football even begins to enter his mind again.

Also: I'm of the opinion that he'd definitely have been cooked if his girlfriend had remained determined to cooperate with the prosecution. But she is in love, and can't imagine life with anyone else, so she shut down the investigation and chose to take the next step with him (family formation) instead. It's not the first time a tale of domestic abuse has ended this way. Hopefully the whole saga encourages better behaviour and there are no further incidents from him. These are still very young people, they can grow up and improve themselves.

 

United have been releasing stuff in the press with a view to having him play for them again. The ideas proposed were that he'd have be interviewed about it, show contrition whilst accepting long term counselling. You could argue that keeping him at United with the level of care they'd provide would likely result in better outcomes for partner and child than if they all flew off to Turkey or wherever and he faces no consequences for his actions. There's also a broader moral question if someone in his position can be rehabilitated whilst the situation is complicated by him being innocent by British law. There will obviously be a lot of objections from women's groups if a serious move to bring him back to United's first team squad is made.

On his international future, personally I think he probably holds some hope of playing for England again one day. I think it's unlikely but not impossible. It would be contingent on him genuinely changing as a person and making amends in a sincere and committed way. That said, there's no chance Southgate calls him up in the next few years.