Nigeria
under-20 head coach Paul Aigbogun has welcomed the news that Arsenal young
forward Folarin Balogun is open to playing for the country.
However Aigbogun says he has not
spoken to the 17-year-old forward about swapping to play for Nigeria.
Balogun was born in the United States
to Nigerian parents and has played for England at youth level but says he is
open to changing allegiances.
"I haven't yet declared who I
will commit to internationally. I will be discussing matters with my parents
and will then decide," Balogun, who has scored 22 goals in 23 games this
season, told
the Arsenal website.
His declaration has caught the
attention of Aigbogun, who is preparing for May's Under-20 World Cup in Poland.
"This sounds good coming from
him. I know most of the Arsenal players and this is a very talented player to
have in any team," the coach told BBC Sport.
"He is a good player, but I have
not spoken to him yet."
Nigeria's Flying Eagles qualified
for the World Cup after finishing fourth at the Under-20 Africa
Cup of Nations in Niger last month.
Should Balogun opt for the West
African nation he would be following in the footsteps of other youngsters who
had committed to the country of their parents.
Nigeria have previously succeeded
convincing several former England youth internationals like Sone Aluko, Victor
Moses, Shola Ameobi, Alex Iwobi and Ola Aina to swap allegiances.
The player is keeping all his options
open for the future.
"I was born in New York, so can
play for the USA. My parents were born in Nigeria and I have been in England
since I was two years old, so I can play for both those countries too!" he
explained.
"I have several youth caps playing
for England and I enjoy their style of play which is similar to
Arsenal's."
Balogun has been with Arsenal since
the age of 10 and signed
his first professional contract with the club in February.
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