Leverkusen's Frimpong snubs England, yet to choose between Ghana and the Netherlands 

Prince Narkortu Teye

Leverkusen's Frimpong snubs England, yet to choose between Ghana and the Netherlands  image

Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong has ruled out the possibility of playing for England at senior level, revealing his heart lies with Ghana or the Netherlands.

Born in the Netherlands to Ghanaian parents, Frimpong moved to England at seven years old, joining Manchester City's academy set-up two years later.

He, thus, qualifies to represent any of the three nations at senior international level. At youth stage, he has played for the country of his birth at U19 and U20 level.

"I can represent England, but that is not even an option for me. I am not English. But I have not yet chosen between Ghana and the Netherlands," Frimpong told Algemeen Dagblad.

"I do not know what gives me the last push. I can only say that it is It's not an easy decision. My family sets me free. They say, 'We support you, regardless of your choice'.

"It's up to me. It would be a great honour to be invited."

After several years at City, Frimpong left the club for Scottish outfit Celtic in 2019, owing to a lack of first-team opportunities at Etihad Stadium.

The move turned out to be a brilliant switch as he would not take long to grab a regular spot at Celtic and went on to hog headlines with a string of fine performances.

"I felt ready for the first team [at City] and thought: I'm going to pull out all the stops in preparation to stand out. Then we played against Celtic. The club immediately contacted City," the 20-year-old explained.

"I was by no means always the best. It doesn't happen to me. I have to work very hard every day. My technique, for example, still deserves attention."

After a year-and-a-half in Scotland, Frimpong moved to German side Leverkusen last month, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract.

"A top competition. That's where I wanted to go. Every team has great players. I want to test myself here against the best," the full-back said of the Bundesliga and his move to Leverkusen.

Frimpong made his Leverkusen debut in a 2-1 defeat to Rot-Weiss Essen in the German Cup earlier this month, a few days before making his Bundesliga bow in 5-2 victory over Stuttgart. 

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