Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori receive England call-ups as they look set to end hope of switching allegiance to Nigeria

Chelsea stars, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham have been called up by England for the Euro 2020 qualifiers in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria taking place this month. 

The announcement was made by England coach Gareth Southgate this afternoon ( Oct. 3).

Before now, there have been questions if the pair who are also eligible to play for Nigeria will commit themselves and play for the Super Eagles. But Southgate’s selection of both Tomori and Abraham will now dash the hopes of Nigeria to convince the pair to switch their international allegiance.

Tomori has played international youth football for Canada, where he was born, and England, but he also qualifies for Nigeria through his Nigerian parents.. Abraham has played two senior games for England, but still qualifies for Nigeria through his father. 

If any of them take part in the Czech Republic or Bulgaria games on October 11 and 14, then their international futures will be settled because both matches are competitive fixtures.

Speaking following the announcement, Southgate admitted the decision to call up Abraham was an easy one to make.  

Southgate said: 'It was a fairly easy decision as he's the leading English goalscorer in the league.

'We put him into the squad very young, when we were changing the complexion of what we were doing. That was a bit early for him but because of the opportunity given to him by Frank Lampard at Chelsea, we've brought him back in.

'This is now a great chance for Tammy. He's always scored goals for our junior teams, he's done that in the Championships and now he's grasped his opportunity at the beginning of this season.'

Southgate said of Tomori: “His profile as a defender fits with the way international football is. Athleticism is important; he is capable with the ball. We think it’s a good opportunity to have a closer look at him.”

“I don’t think it’s ethically right to select someone just to make sure he can’t play for somebody else,” England’s manager said. “Fik and Tammy are in on merit. They’ve both been part of our youth system. Fik came in a bit later but he was part of the team that won the [Under-17] World Cup – as far as we’re concerned they’re English players.”

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