Jamal Musiala: England Under-21 midfielder 'wanted by Germany boss Joachim Low'
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Jamal Musiala scored for England Under-21s in a 5-0 win over Albania in November
Germany boss Joachim Low wants to call up Bayern Munich attacker Jamal Musiala - a move that would stop the player representing England, says German football expert Raphael Honigstein.
Musiala, 17, spent eight years at Chelsea and has played for England Under-21s and is eligible for both countries.
"Germany are making strong moves, they have made it official they want him in the senior team,” Honigstein told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily podcast.
"He can choose England or Germany."
Musiala was born in Germany to a British-Nigerian father and German mother and then moved to England at a young age.
He was in Chelsea’s academy before joining Bayern in July 2019 and has represented England at under-15, under-16, under-17 and under-21 levels, but also Germany at under-16s.
However, the first country he plays for at senior level in a competitive match will be the nation he represents for the rest of his career.
Both countries play three World Cup qualifiers at the end of March. Germany are at home against Iceland, away to Romania and home to North Macedonia, while Gareth Southgate’s England side have matches at Wembley against San Marino and Poland, with a game in Albania in between.
“Low has been to see him in Munich and they are pushing very, very hard,” added Honigstein. “Where does Musiala see himself and where does he feel more comfortable?
“In terms of his identity, he is exactly down the middle having grown up in Germany, then England, and he feels quite attached to England. But he is back in Germany and has all his German team-mates in his ear.
“His mother has told the German FA he is not going to switch again at youth level. If that decision is to be made, it will be made for the seniors.
“That puts Germany under pressure to put him in straight away, which would then pressure England to fast-track him.
“The German FA were saying they thought they had little chance a few months ago. Now, they feel more encouraged.”
Musiala scored on his Bayern Munich debut in September when he came off the bench to get the final goal in an 8-0 Bundesliga win over Schalke. He has made 16 German top-flight appearances, two of them starts, and played in three Champions League games.
He has also made two appearances for England U21s - in a 3-1 win over Andorra on 13 November and then scoring in a 5-0 win over Albania four days later.
Honigstein added: “Germany need young teenage talent, because there is a gap. When it comes to the post-Joshua Kimmich generation there isn’t the same quality coming through.
“There are a lot of talks under way about how to fix that. Musiala could benefit from that talent gap and become an important player.
“It will be interesting to see what he decides."
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