Jamaica want Mason Greenwood to switch from England
As per a report by The Telegraph (Subscription Required) [h/t Manchester Evening News], Mason Greenwood is wanted by Jamaica to help them qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The Manchester United striker currently plays for England but is eligible to represent the Caribbean nation through his parents.
Greenwood is one of the most hyped teenagers in the Premier League, if not Europe, after breaking into the United starting XI under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. It is no surprise that the Jamaican Football Federation want him for their national team. But is this the right step for the player’s career? Let us find out.
Greenwood should stay with England
A switch of nationalities would make sense if you’re sure you will not get games for your current national team. That was possibly the case with Aymeric Laporte, the Manchester City defender who switched from France to Spain just before the ongoing Euros. But it is not something that Greenwood should be worried about at his young age.
At just 19, Greenwood is already a full England international. Gareth Southgate rates him high enough to hand him an international debut last year at the UEFA Nations League against Iceland in a 1-0 win. Injuries prevented him from gaining any momentum on the international stage since then.
But the biggest show of faith from the gaffer came this summer when Greenwood was named in the final 26-man squad for the Euros. The teenager made the cut over other attack-minded players such as James Maddison, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Patrick Bamford, and Danny Ings.
And that shows how highly he is rated in the England camp. An injury cut his campaign short, but that doesn’t change the fact that he had the faith of the powers-that-be in the England camp. Jamaica does have a loaded national team now, despite having the likes of Andre Gray, Michail Antonio and Kemar Roofe in their ranks.
Staying at England can help Greenwood develop
However, Greenwood would naturally be teammates with more acclaimed players in the England team. Moreover, it is no secret that the opportunity to get a call-up for your country is one of the biggest motivating factors for footballers at the club level. At Jamaica, Greenwood would probably be a definite fixture in the starting XI.
But for the Three Lions, he would have to keep producing the goods to have the honour of winning the England cap. Moreover, the English team is better placed to win tournaments than Jamaica, evident in their FIFA rankings where the 1966 World Cup winners are ranked 5th while the Jamaicans are all the way down at 45 (at the time of writing).
Competition is what drives players to reach their true potential. Greenwood would have plenty of that in his club team and the need for regular game time would always keep him on his toes as a player and motivate him to achieve better things.
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As the tweet above shows, he was clearly a proud man hungry for more when he made his debut for the Three Lions. But whatever he chooses – England or Jamaica, he should know that picking the Three Lions over the Reggae Boyz would open more doors for him in his individual career and could benefit his club too for the aforementioned reasons.
