THE son of former Chelsea chief Michael Emenalo is the subject of a tug of war between England and the United States.
Landon Emenalo, 16, has received a call-up to the Three Lions Under-17s team, despite having played for the USA youth setup in the past.
The teenager is currently on the books at Chelsea’s academy where he operates as a central midfielder.
Landon was born in Arizona and has a US national mother that allows him the option of who to represent at international level.
While dad Michael is a 14-cap Nigeria international from his playing days – meaning Landon can also represent the Super Eagles.
Micheal Emenalo played for clubs such as Notts County and San Jose Clash during his career before hanging up his boots to venture into coaching and board-level roles.
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The 59-year-old worked as a scout and assistant manager for Chelsea between 2007 and 2011, before taking the role as Chelsea’s technical director for six years.
During his time in SW6 he worked alongside managers such as Jose Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti, while he was also part of the team that brought in players such as Kevin De Bruyne, N’Golo Kante and Eden Hazard.
Since then he has held the same position at AS Monaco and is now the president of the league association for the Saudi Pro League.
Landon, who was reportedly raised as a Chelsea fan, is highly thought of at Cobham.
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And his abilities have clearly caught the eye of the USA and England national setups.
England U17 boss Neil Ryan has selected Landon for the team’s upcoming Euro 2025 qualifiers later this month.
While the youngster represented the USA U17s this summer in a tournament in the Czech Republic.
It’s too soon for either of Mauricio Pochettino or Thomas Tuchel – both ex-Chelsea bosses themselves – to be thinking of calling the rising star to the men’s teams, but Landon has already found himself caught in a battle for his services.
Landon has made four U18 Premier League appearances this season, scoring once.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
