The U20 team of England will later this week arrive Argentina for the U20 World Cup following the naming of the 21 man squad for the tournament by coach of the team, OGN reports.
Head coach of the team Ian Foster including Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka, Leeds United’s Darko Gyabi and Southampton’s Sam Edozie.
Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Alfie Devine, a winner of last year’s Under-19 European Championship with England under Foster, has also been included alongside 15 other players who won that title.
However there was no space in the team for Crystal Palace shot stopper Owen Goodman, who made his debut for the team in a friendly game against Spain, a month after turning down an invitation to be a part of the Nigeria U20 team for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Goodman as exclusively revealed by OGN was handed a chance to be among the goalkeepers of the team during their camping exercise in Abuja, but he turned it down after he was told to pay his way to camp and be refunded if he makes the team.
That arrangements didn’t go down well with the young goalkeeper, who at that time was already on the radar of the English U20 team. His representatives confirmed he indeed got the call up but declined it but they didn’t state why he did.
His failure to make the team of England will no doubt make them to revisit that decision although there is no guarantee that he would have made that of Nigeria even if he had accepted the call up.
Chijioke Anigboso and Nathaniel Nwosu are the first and second choice of the team and they both have the trust of the coach of the team Ladan Bosso.
Osas Mahawi
