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#2 Callum Hudson-Odoi
Chelsea’s flashy winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is only 18 years old, and while there were some suggestions that he could be fast-tracked with England, it didn’t look likely this time around – in fact, he was chosen as part of Aidy Boothroyd’s U21 squad for the first time instead. But when Fabian Delph and Ruben Loftus-Cheek withdrew due to injuries, Hudson-Odoi was promoted into the senior squad instead.
And naturally, this could be the U17 World Cup winner’s time to shine. Hudson-Odoi has been used sparingly at Chelsea this season – he has yet to start in a Premier League fixture – but when Maurizio Sarri has deployed him, he has shined, scoring 4 goals and making 2 assists in 8 appearances in the Europa League. He’s even picked up two Man of the Match awards on WhoScored.com for his exploits in the competition.
January’s transfer window saw Bayern Munich looking at a move for the youngster, but while that didn’t pan out due to Chelsea being unwilling to sell, it shows how highly he’s rated. Part of what makes Hudson-Odoi such an interesting prospect is that recently at least, England hasn’t been known for producing skilled dribblers of the ball – and yet Hudson-Odoi looks as good as any that have emerged in the Premier League in the last few seasons.
It’s unlikely that Hudson-Odoi will start against the Czech Republic or Montenegro, but there could be a silver lining for him in the fact that Marcus Rashford is reportedly carrying an injury. Rashford has been starting for England alongside Raheem Sterling as one of two wide forwards, and if he’s ruled out I’d expect Jadon Sancho to take his place.
With Sancho starting, the likelihood of Hudson-Odoi making a substitute appearance – running at tired Czech or Montenegrin defenders – becomes much higher, as does the potential for him to really make an impact. If he can pull it off, he could become a fixture in England’s squad even before he really establishes himself as a starter at Chelsea.
