Highly-rated England teenager Carney Chukwuemeka asked to switch international allegiance

Carney Chukwuemeka could be the latest prospect to switch international allegiance after the talented midfielder was approached by another nation.

The highly-rated 19-year-old midfielder, who plays his club football for Premier League side Chelsea, is eligible to play for the national teams of England, Nigeria and Austria.

He was born in the city Eisenstadt, Austria to Nigerian parents but the family relocated to the town of Northampton when Carney was young.

After coming through the Northampton academy, he would sign a deal with Aston Villa in 2016 before making his international debut for England at U17 level in 2019.

Chukwuemeka has since represented the Three Lions at U18, U19 and U20 level, where he recently captained their side in a 3-0 win against Chile.

But there is interest from elsewhere with the teenager not yet making his senior bow.

In fact, according to talkSPORT, his place of birth Austria – a nation managed by Ralf Rangnick – have asked Chukwuemeka to switch allegiances from England to them.

Rangnick has a track record of giving youth a chance to shine in his teams and Chukwuemeka, who has made 12 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea this season, would certainly be a key figure if he decided to join.

Chukwuemeka, who has reportedly caught the eye of interim Blues manager Frank Lampard in recent weeks, opened up on his goals for 2023 when speaking to Chelsea's official website in December last year.

Here, he spoke about playing for England and what he wants to achieve with the Three Lions in the not-so-distant future.

"In 2023, I want to kick on and break into the team," he said. "To make my Champions League debut. To keep my confidence high. To build on my past performances.

"And so much as it was my dream to play for Chelsea, it's also my dream to play for my country England.

"I've set myself this goal to play at EURO 2024. Obviously, I've got to keep on working hard and then we'll see what happens."

Thoughts on the international future of Chukwuemeka? Should he follow the likes of Jamal Musiala in leaving the England set-up to play elsewhere?

Let us know in the comments.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Chelsea, Aston Villa, England

Jack Kenmare

Senior Journalist at SPORTbible with a passion for long-form journalism. Almost 10 years’ experience across online and print.

@jackkenmare_