Brighton and Hove Albion's Tariq Lamptey is "considering" playing for Ghana instead of England at international level, according to England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley.
Former Brighton boss Chris Hughton, who was appointed technical director of the Ghana national team in February, reportedly proposed Lamptey declare for the Black Stars ahead of the World Cup later at the end of this year.
The 21-year-old has made two appearances for England's U21 team, but is yet to feature at senior level.
Despite a string of niggling injuries this season, Lamptey made 32 appearances for Brighton in all competitions — although 14 of these were from the bench.
Despite impressive showing in a more advanced role, the youngster was not selected for Carsley's latest squad at his own request.
Speaking to The Athletic regarding Lamptey, the U21 boss said:
"He's asked to be left out of the squad for a bit of head space. He's not switched, it’s not cemented or anything like that. But he's had an approach. We have to respect that.
"We've made it clear how important we see him to us. I know the seniors have as well. It's not something that we've given up on. Tariq is fully aware of how important we see him.
"To be fair, I have rang him every day. I probably shouldn't have, I probably pushed him. You can only make it clear so many times.
"I wouldn't say we've done as much as we can, but he knows where we stand with him. I think we have to respect now that he's got a decision to make. Not only with himself, but with his family."
Ghana will face Madagascar and Central African Republic in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.
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