Manchester United hopeful Charlie Savage takes selection gamble to help loan club

There is a polarising debate in football fandom: club or country?

For some, there is no greater pride than supporting the country where they were born or raised, while for others, the greatest love is for the club they either inherited from birth or chose themselves.

It is a dilemma that Manchester United youngster Charlie Savage has had to juggle himself with over the past week ahead of a massive day for both.

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The 19-year-old is one of the top talents to emerge from the United academy in recent years, with impressive performances that have caught the eye at both club and international level.

Savage has been a mainstay of the Welsh setup since a young age, and that only made his decision to withdraw from international duty last week that bit harder.

The teenage midfielder was selected to represent Wales U21s when they face Scotland U21s at midday on Sunday, but declined the call in order to be available for loan side Forest Green Rovers.

Instead of playing in the youth international friendly fixture, Savage will be lining up for his loan club an hour later when they host high-flying Sheffield Wednesday in League One.

Forest Green currently sit at the bottom of the division, 14 points from safety, and know they will likely need to avoid defeat to have any chance of pulling off the greatest of escapes.

Savage has scored one goal in six appearances since he joined Duncan Ferguson's side in January, starting each of the last three, and even playing as a centre-forward last time out.

It is not an enviable task to face Wednesday at home on Sunday, but it shows huge commitment on Savage's part that he wants to fight for his loan club and try to repay