Topics: England, Ipswich Town, Football, Jamaica
Ipswich Town star Omari Hutchinson has reportedly decided to represent England at international level - despite already playing for another nation.
The 20-year-old signed for the Tractor Boys for £20 million from Chelsea in the summer.
He played a key role in helping Ipswich to promotion from the Championship this season, and Kieran McKenna's side were keen to make his loan move permanent at the beginning of the summer.
And while that move appeared to be a simple choice for the attacking midfielder, who spent time in the youth academies of both Arsenal and Chelsea, his international future was a different matter.
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Hutchinson is eligible to play for England (he was born in Surrey), while he is also of Jamaican descent.
He collected two caps for the Reggae Boyz last year, making his debut in a 2-0 loss to Trinidad and Tobago in March.
However, with Ipswich battling to earn promotion last season, Hutchinson turned down call-ups from Jamaica in order to focus on his club football, as per The Athletic.
And when new Reggae Boyz boss Steve McClaren enquired about his availability this summer, the 20-year-old declined the opportunity to represent Jamaica in the future.
On Thursday, Hutchinson was called up to the England U21 squad for their fixtures during the upcoming international break.
And The Athletic report that he has officially chosen to represent the Three Lions, having initially been called up for a training camp last month but being forced to withdraw through injury.
International allegiance rules state that a player can only switch nations if they have played no more than three competitive senior matches before the age of 21.
They also cannot having played in the final stage of an official tournament.
It is claimed that Jamaica held several meetings with Hutchinson in an effort to convince him to continue playing for them, but he wanted to switch to England due to their 'genuine chance of competing for major silverware', while their world class facilities and environment are said to be a factor.
