CALL TO ARMS
Hudson-Odoi has battled back from injury and is ready to make a major impact for both club and country
CALLUM HUDSON-ODOI insists he is climbing back to the top and is ready to make a big impact for Chelsea and the senior England team.
The winger, who turned 20 less than a fortnight ago, has endured a “rollercoaster” 18 months after breaking into Gareth Southgate’s squad, earning three caps, then rupturing an Achilles tendon.
The lay- off led to wasted muscle, which he is now rebuilding – along with his confidence.
He scored the opening goal at Molineux on Tuesday as Aidy Boothroyd’s England Under-21s thrashed Albania 5-0 in their final qualifier for the age group’s European Championship. They were already through to the finals, which start in March.
“I’m working my way back to the senior team in the England set-up,” said Hudson-Odoi (left). “I keep trying, working. The last 18 months I’ve enjoyed bits, and not enjoyed bits.
“Gareth and Aidy say get your crosses across goal, get shots on target, and keep being a threat, the player everyone fears when you play them.
“I put pressure on myself. Sometimes there’s a lot of expectation. I just say to myself, ‘ Keep being positive, things might go wrong but be positive’ and hope the result will be good. You train hard at Chelsea every day and the managers are always looking. You want to prove a point that you are ready when called upon.”
Hudson-Odoi has been the subject of transfer speculation at Chelsea and a target for Bayern Munich.
And he clearly wants a bigger role in the coming months after making 29 starts for his club, but more than 30 substitute appearances.
He said of his fightback from injury: “It’s been a rollercoaster, up and down, up and down.
“But stuff like that you move on from and think of the present and the future. I’m only 20. Sometimes people forget the age, because I have been around for a bit. I started young.
“It is a nice feeling that I have kicked on well and I can keep progressing day in, day out.
“The last 18 months have been strange, not something I’d have liked, but we have to deal with it.”
He is taking a lead role in the U-21s. As well as scoring four times in eight games, he helped convince Bayern Munich prodigy Jamal Musiala to commit to England, and not play for the Germany national team, which the 17-year-old is also eligible to represent.
Musiala scored on Tuesday night and Hudson-Odoi said: “Jamal is a top, top player. I have