Brighton Defender Tariq Lamptey Snubs England U21 After Ghana Approach

• Tariq Lamptey has requested to be left out of the England U21 squad after being approached by Ghana to switch allegiances
• The Brighton defender has been on the radar of the Ghana FA, which is seeking to beef up the Black Stars ahead of the AFCON qualifiers and the World Cup
• Lamptey is yet to represent England at the senior level however he has appeared for the European nation across its youth teams

Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey has asked to be left out of England's squad for their upcoming European Under-21 Championship qualifying games.

The 21-year-old is considering representing Ghana ahead of the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, according to Daily Mail.

The right full-back was contacted by the West African country in 2020 but made his England Under-21 debut later that year.

Now according to England Under-21 head coach Lee Carsley, Lamptey has again been approached by the Black Stars of Ghana and is "considering" the offer.

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"He's asked to be left out of the squad for a bit of head space," said Carsley as quoted by The Athletic.

"He's not switched, it's not cemented or anything like that but he's had an approach, we respect that.

"We've made it clear how important we see him to us. I know the senior team has as well.

"Tariq is fully aware of how important we see him - I have rung him every day!

"I probably shouldn't have, I probably pushed him. You can only make it clear so many times. He knows where we stand with him. We respect he's got a decision to make."

Lamptey has represented England, the country of his birth, at different age groups below senior level. He has made two appearances for the under-21s.

He qualifies for Ghana through his parents and has also played for England Under-18s and Under-19s.

Last season, Lampety started 16 times for Brighton in the Premier League in the 2021-22 season and made a further 14 appearances as a substitute.

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England Born Defender Tariq Lamptey Agrees to Play for Ghana

Sports Brief earlier reported that Tariq Lamptey has agreed to switch his nationality from his country of birth, England to Ghana, according to London-based Ghanaian coach Freddie.

The marauding wing-back has been on the wishlist of the Ghana Football Association and the news of his nationality switch will be warmly received with the AFCON qualifiers on the horizon.

Lamptey has represented England at the youth level and recently received a call-up to the England U21 in March but is still eligible to play for the Black Stars.