Tariq Lamptey 'asks to be left out' of England U21 squad after Ghana approach

Brighton and Hove Albion defender Tariq Lamptey has asked to be left out of England’s under-21s squad after receiving an approach to play for Ghana’s national side.

Lee Carsley’s Young Lions are due to play four games in the opening weeks of June against Czech Republic, Albania, Kosovo and Slovenia in qualifying for the 2023 Under-21 European Championships taking place in Romania and Georgia.

Carsley named his squad for the quartet of qualifiers on Wednesday and Seagulls full-back Lamptey, who has played 20 times for England across various age groups was left out.

Asked about Lamptey’s omission, former Everton and Republic of Ireland midfielder Carsley said that the former Chelsea defender had asked to be left out of the squad following an approach to play for Ghana while he thinks about his options.

“There’s an issue over his dual nationality,” Carsley told The Sun. “He’s had an approach. It’s something he’s considering at the minute.

“He’s asked to be left out of the squad for a bit of head space. He’s not switched, it’s not cemented or anything like that. But he’s had an approach (from Ghana), we have to respect that.

“We’ve made it clear how important we see him to us. I know the seniors have as well. It’s not something that we’ve given up on. Tariq is fully aware of how important we see him.”

One thing perhaps deterring Lamptey from sticking with England is the direct competition ahead of him at present. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Tripper, Kyle Walker and Reece James have all been regulars for England, while Kyle Walker-Peters, Tino Livramento, James Justin, have all been and around the squad in recent months.

Lamptey also faces competition at right-back in the under-21s squad. West Ham United’s Ben Johnson,