Leon Bailey’s father has revealed he will talk with England technical director Dan Ashworth next week about his son representing the Three Lions at the 2018 World Cup.
The Bayer Leverkusen midfielder has been a sensation in the Bundesliga this season and it has emerged this year that the 20-year-old is eligible to represent England through his grandparents.
Bailey was born in Jamaica but has not represented them at senior level and is now considering his options on the international stage after rejecting their advances.
“I will be speaking to Dan Ashworth at the FA next week, but now it is a definite no as far as playing for Jamaica is concerned,” Craig Butler, Bailey’s father, told The Sun.
“That will come [going to the World Cup] we will speak to them [FA], look at all the options and see what they have planned for my son.
“England has always been a great option, it has a lot of Jamaican players that were there before that have played for England.
“Jamaica falsely stated Leon and his brother will be playing for them during the next international break.
“We responded by telling them this was not going to happen – they have refused to meet me to discuss a proper national football system and culture. We are concerned about the future of young footballers in Jamaica, not my sons, they are safe.
“But with the current system in place I will not allow my sons to play for Jamaica unless they change and introduce a proper system of development with a transparent process of selection.
“Leon has to play international football, so we will look at the options.”
Southgate is due to announce his squad for England’s upcoming friendlies with Holland and Italy on Thursday but it’s unlikely Bailey will be part of the squad.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t form part of Southgate’s plans for the World Cup if he does elect to represent the Three Lions, as he would arguably be one of England’s best players.
Of players aged 23 and under in Europe’s top five leagues this season (5+ appearances), only Kylian Mbappe (7.65), Leroy Sane (7.56) and Raheem Sterling (7.55) have a higher WhoScored rating than Bailey (7.50).
