"The door is always open for young quality players" - Ashley Cole leaves England U-21 door open for 'top quality' Chelsea star

Former England left-back Ashley Cole has said the door is always open for Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi to come and play for England's U-21 side.

Cole, who works as an assistant manager in the England U-21 setup, believes Hudson-Odoi would bring in a lot of quality to the side. The former Chelsea star is ready to welcome Hudson-Odoi back if the player does indeed want to play for the side.

Speaking ahead of their friendly against Georgia, Ashley Cole said:

“Him not coming here is a big loss for us because he is a top quality player and of course he would add a lot of quality to this group. He felt maybe he wanted to stay behind and get his fitness up to try to get into the Chelsea team first. We have to be understanding within that. The door is always open for young quality players.”

As things stand, there is a big question mark on Callum Hudson-Odoi's international career. The 21-year-old winger has three caps for England but has not featured for the Three Lions in quite some time.

Hudson-Odoi has recently turned down opportunities to represent the England U-21 side as he intends to feature more for Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel. The decision has seemingly backfired for the 21-year-old winger. National team manager Gareth Southgate is reportedly unimpressed with him turning down an opportunity to play for the U-21 side.

It is worth noting that Callum Hudson-Odoi is currently eligible to switch allegiances and represent Ghana on the international stage. The Chelsea academy graduate could declare to play for Ghana if he continues to remain out of contention for a place in Gareth Southgate's 2022 World Cup squad.

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Callum Hudson-Odoi has featured often for Chelsea this season

Callum Hudson-Odoi has been given sufficient game time this season by manager Thomas Tuchel. The 21-year-old winger has made 11 appearances so far this season and has contributed a goal and two assists.

Callum Hudson-Odoi has started the previous three games for Chelsea in the Premier League. However, the winger has failed to complete the full 90 minutes in any of those outings. The 21-year-old also scored his first goal of the season in Chelsea's 7-0 win over Norwich City.

Chelsea have had an outstanding start to the 2021-22 season. The Blues are currently top of the Premier League standings, having amassed 26 points from their opening 11 games.

Chelsea are currently three points clear of Manchester City and West Ham United and four points ahead of Liverpool.