Former England and Arsenal legend, Ian Wright has advised English footballers of foreign descent to follow the path of the likes of Tariq Lamptey, who opted to represent the country of his father’s instead of the Three Lions.
Tariq Lamptey chose to don the colors of his true heritage instead of those of the country of his birth, England, though he played for their youth teams.
According to Ian Wright, encourage players to opt for their countries of origin if they feel blocked or have no chance of representing their country of birth or residence.
“You look at Tariq Lamptey, and he’s a fantastic player, a fantastic right back. Maybe he’s seeing his path to England is blocked,” Wright said on PL Stories.
“For me, I think that when you look at the player who kept him out of Chelsea, Reece James, and how good he is, you can understand why Lamptey might seek opportunities elsewhere.”
“When you look at what Tariq has done…, he is someone who should be on that stage. If he can get that from Ghana, then he should take it.”
“I think we’re probably going to see more of this trend, as me and Mikel were just saying. If you’re good enough, you shouldn’t be held back or waiting.”
