Emile Smith Rowe has insisted that it's down to Folarin Balogun to decide where his international future lies - but he hopes that his Arsenal teammate will join him in the England Under-21 team for this summer's European Championships.
Balogun, 21, has been a regular in Lee Carsley's U21 side over the past 12 months but is also eligible to feature for the United States and Nigeria, and it is believed that the former are currently trying to persuade him to switch his international allegiance after he missed out on a spot in Gareth Southgate's senior squad for this month's Euro 2024 qualifiers.
USMNT interim coach Anthony Hudson revealed last week that he had recently held talks with Balogun, who withdrew from England's U21 fixtures this month due to an injury before jetting out to Orlando.
Smith Rowe, on the other hand, played a crucial role for England U21 in their impressive 4-0 win over France at the weekend. And he was asked for his verdict on Balogun's international future in the wake of all the recent speculation.
"Of course [I would prefer he choose England], but obviously it’s his decision," Smith Rowe told reporters after Saturday's match. "That’s down to him to do what he wants to do. It would be nice if he could be with us in the summer but like I said, that’s down to him and he’s got to do what’s best for him."
Balogun has plenty of thinking to do over his future at club level, too, with his stock currently at an all-time high in the wake of his impressive form for Reims.
Join the debate! Who do you think Balogun will choose: England or the USMNT? Let us know here.
The Arsenal youngster joined the Ligue 1 outfit on a season-long loan back in the summer and has managed to outscore Lionel Messi and Neymar after plundering 17 league goals in just 27 games.
And after previously indicating that he was planning to return to Arsenal to challenge for a first-team berth, Balogun has now refused to rule out the prospect of moving on in the summer, admitting that a longer stay in France would "make sense". Speaking to Ligue 1’s website, he said: "Yeah I mean, contractually I have to go back. Because the loan was only for one year so that was always the agreement.
"I’m not sure what is going to happen in the future. A lot could happen in football, a lot could change. It just depends on the conversations we have between me and the club in the summer, and we’ll see what happens."
He continued: "Yeah I mean there’s no door that’s closed. Of course I have had a good year here and to a lot of people it makes sense for me to come back here. So yeah I mean I don’t know what the future will bring."
