Musiala still available for Germany despite England Under-21s call up

Bayern Munich youngster Jamal Musiala remains at the centre of a tug of war between England and Germany despite his recent call up to the Three Lions' Under-21s squad for the first time.

The 17-year-old has three national team options through his British-Nigerian father and his German mother, but it is understood that he is unlikely to opt to play for the Super Eagles in future.

The DFB have already called up the Stuttgart-born youngster to their Under-16s, but having come through at Chelsea's academy before moving to Munich, he has played more for English youth teams.

It is understood that despite his call up to Aidy Boothroyd's Under-21s, his future won't be secured until he formally debuts in a competitive senior team fixture. This would see him tied to that nation through FIFA's rules, as the youngster prioritises his development and is torn between both nations.

Boothroyd spoke about his decision to call up the young attacking midfielder who has been making a big impact with the European champions this season.

“Jamal has been doing really well at Bayern Munich, getting a couple of starts and making a number of cameo appearances and when you’re involved in a team of Bayern Munich’s quality you have to take notice of that,” he added.

“We’ve been tracking him for quite a while and he has been in the system. I work very closely with not only Les Reed but John McDermott and Lee Carsley, as well as Gareth, in terms of when it is right for players to come into the squad.

“We think it’s the right time for Jamal to get into the U21s, so we can get a close look at him. He’s been playing really well, getting Champions League exposure and he is one of those players who has forced himself into our plans.”

Musiala is just one of many England stars to have ongoing dual nationality considerations with Conor Gallagher having Irish ancestry, Tariq Lamptey with Ghana and Eberechi Eze having trained with Nigeria's national team already.

The hype around Musiala has risen as he becomes the youngest player to play and score for Bayern Munich as he breaks a series of records in 2020.

Hansi Flick has now made the youngster a permanent fixture of his squad after he turned down a lucrative new contract at Chelsea to make a move to the Bundesliga.

"I'm really happy about my years in England," Musiala said upon his arrival at Bayern. "There were a few interested teams in Europe, but if such a big club in Germany is interested, you can't say no. I loved Bavaria from an early age."

Derby County defender Lee Buchanan also earned his first U21 call-ups to Boothroyd's squad for games against Andorra on 13 November and Albania four days later.

The Young Lions already secured their qualification for next year’s European Championship finals last month, thanks to a victory over Turkey at Molineux.