The Chelsea forward has been drafted into the senior Three Lions squad for the first time, and a former captain is looking for him to make his mark
Wayne Rooney is hoping to see Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi handed a senior England debut after being drafted into the squad for the first time.
With the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Fabian Delph dropping out of the Three Lions’ ranks through injury, the door has opened for others.
Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse is back in the fold and seeking a second cap after enjoying a welcome return to form in 2019.
Hudson-Odoi has also been promoted to the first-team fold by Gareth Southgate at just 18 years of age.
A product of a famed academy system at Stamford Bridge has seen limited game time at club level this season, but has made plenty of headlines.
Goal revealed in January that German giants Bayern Munich were prepared to pay £35 million ($45m) for Hudson-Odoi’s potential, and exit talk remains as the youngster has not committed to fresh terms.
Competitive minutes are of greater importance to him at present than a new contract, with it possible that his learning curve could include England outings against the Czech Republic and Montenegro in Euro 2020 qualifying.
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Former captain Rooney is looking for Hudson-Odoi to be involved over the coming days, telling Sky Sports of the latest exciting talent to join the likes of Jadon Sancho and Declan Rice in the Three Lions squad: “To be honest I haven’t seen that much of him play, which is a shame because from what everyone says he is a huge talent.
“He doesn’t seem to be getting a lot of game time at Chelsea at the minute so hopefully with his call-up to the national squad he’ll get some game time and there will be a chance to see him.
“It’s great to see young players getting the opportunity to play for England and certainly over the last year or so, they’ve taken that chance.”
Hudson-Odoi has taken in 19 appearances for Chelsea this season, scoring five goals.
He has said of his selection by Southgate, having initially linked up with the U21 squad: “It’s been a crazy experience but I’m delighted. I thought the manager was joking.
“I was shocked and then when I heard that I actually had to go over, I couldn’t believe it.
“I was delighted. It’s a dream come true. Now I’ve got to work hard, enjoy every moment and keep working to just hopefully make an impact when I get the opportunity.”
England are set to face the Czech Republic at Wembley on Friday before then taking in an away date in Montenegro on Monday.