Former Celtic full-back Jeremie Frimpong has pledged his allegiances to the Netherlands ahead of the 2022 World Cup - with the star 'failing to answer' a call from Ghana chiefs ahead of the competition.
Frimpong joined Celtic back in 2018 for a nominal fee from Manchester City, and instantly hit the ground running at Parkhead with a series of explosive performances down the right-hand flank under Neil Lennon. Winning the treble and Celtic's Young Player of the Year award in his first season under the Irishman's guidance at the age of just 19, it was clear to all that the Amsterdam-born talent was destined for big things in football.
He was sold to Bayer Leverkusen for a fee in the region of £12m in January 2021, and has blossomed since moving to the Bundesliga with five goals in twelve appearances from the wing-back role in a 3-4-3 formation. That has not only resulted in interest from clubs such as Barcelona and Manchester United, but a Netherlands call-up for the provisional 55-man squad ahead of the World Cup.
And with the youngster in superb form in one of Europe's biggest leagues, many have tipped Frimpong to break into the final squad that Louis van Gaal is set to choose in the coming days with the Dutch boss utilising a similar formation - leading to reports from Ghanaweb claiming that Frimpong 'snubbed' a call from Ghana chiefs in a last-ditch attempt to secure his services.
Frimpong, who is of Ghanaian descent on his mother's side of the family, has not featured for the Black Stars at youth level, instead representing Netherlands from under-19 to under-21 level.
However, Denzel Dumfries, Devyne Rensch, Jurrien Timber and Rick Karsdorp all able to play in the right-back role, Frimpong has elite competition.
That has seen Otto Addo swoop in to try to tempt Frimpong to play for his team - though Frimpong failed to answer the call, highlighting his desire to play for his homeland.
If Frimpong does feature at the World Cup, that would signal the end of Ghana's pursuit of the former Hoop as players cannot switch allegiances once they make a competitive appearance.
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