West Ham striker Mipo Odubeko pledges his future to Ireland

Nigeria were keen on Mipo Odubeko declaring through his parents, while England were monitoring his eligibility on residency grounds, but the striker is sticking with his birth country following recent talks with Jim Crawford. Picture: INPHO/Tommy Dickson

West Ham United striker Mipo Odubeko has pledged his future to Ireland after a meeting with U21 manager Jim Crawford.

The 19-year-old had rejected offers to be part of the U21 squad over the past year, in part due to a gripe over his exclusion from an U17 squad for the 2019 Euro finals.

Nigeria were keen on the forward declaring through his parents, while England were monitoring his eligibility on residency grounds, but Odubeko is sticking with his birth country following recent talks with Crawford.

He missed the first six qualifiers of the Euro 2023 qualifiers but will be available for the final four, starting with the trip to group leaders Sweden on March 29.

A stoppage-time winner against the Swedes in November revived Ireland’s qualification prospects, moving them to third in the table, three points adrift of Italy.

Ireland complete their campaign in June with a triple-header against Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro (both home), before finishing away to the Italians.

The teen could feature for the Hammers in Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie against Leeds United after his parent club cut short a disappointing loan stint at Huddersfield Town that yielded just six substitute appearances.

Odubeko was part of a generation alongside contemporary Troy Parrott that attracted Premier League club interest from their early teens. A product of St Joseph’s Boys and Crumlin United, he was snapped by Manchester United but dramatically quit in 2019, unconvinced his 35 goals for their U18s would earn him promotion through the ranks.

His subsequent move to the Hammers has been vindicated, as David Moyes handed him two first-team appearances in the FA Cup last season before granting him a bumper new contract until the summer of 2023. Another loan spell is expected to be brokered during this transfer window.

Crawford will be glad that the uncertainty has subsided, after constantly facing questions about the player’s intentions.

“Mipo has got a decision to make, a choice, and our lines of communication will always be open,” the U21 manager said before naming his squad for the September qualifiers.

“But he won’t be involved in this camp and what we should probably be talking about are the players who are involved.

“You look at the likes of Ryan Johansson who fought tooth and nail to be part of the U21s.

“That’s the type of player you need in the building. Players who are proud to put on the jersey and will work as hard as they can to make sure the team can achieve as much as they possibly can in this upcoming campaign.”