Crystal Palace highly rated 16 year old Joseph Oluwagbemiga Hungbo has provoked a tug of war between Nigeria and England over his international future as both nations have made contact with his minders.
Hungo is set to turn 17 later this year, but his rise at Crystal Palace the team he joined since the age of nine has seen him move up to the first team where he regularly take part in training sessions alongside the stars of the team.
The left footed winger has already earned himself the nickname “Gareth Bale” and he is widely viewed by followers of the club as the next big star who could emerge from the club youth system that has produced the likes of Wilfred Zaha, Nathaniel Clyne and Victor Moses.
At the age of 15 he was already playing for the U18s of the team , with a piece in the Guardian national newspaper going as far as tagging him to be the next big thing to come out of England.
” The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) are aware of him. When they were in London for their training camp, contacts were made with some members of his family but England are lining him up for a call up to their U17 team”, a family source told Owngoalnigeria.com.
” He is just 16 although he will soon be 17 years old, so they shouldn’t be any rush from both nations to cap him. Although they are both not relenting in their pursuit, I think it’s more like keeping in touch with him for the sake of the future”.
Michael James
