Ghana look to woo England youngster Tariq Lamptey

Ghana are trying to persuade England Under-21 starlet Tariq Lamptey to switch allegiance to the Black Stars.

The 19-year-old won the hearts of Ghanaian fans with his impressive performance for Brighton in their 3-1 defeat to his former club Chelsea on the opening England Premier League fixture at the Amex on Monday.

The talented defender, who has been capped by England at the Under-21 level, is now being courted by the West African giants to switch allegiance.

Lamptey, born to Ghanaian parent in the United Kingdom, is still eligible to represent the African giants.

Ghana FA supremo George Amoako has told reliable Ghanaian radio station Nhyira FM that the FA is working hard to persuade the talented full-back.

“The national team’s department is making serious efforts to get his parents and the boy to play for Ghana," Amoako told Kumasi-based Nhyira FM:

“But it’s not going to be easy. I don’t want to sound like it’s impossible, but it’s not going to be easy."

“Most of the [Ghanaian] players born in Europe, if you want to entice them to come and play for Ghana, it is very difficult."

“They mostly aspire to play for their country of birth or host countries. Even their parents don’t opt for their children playing for Ghana.”

Blessed with lightening pace, skill and agility, the diminutive right back has impressed many in the south coast.

His preferred choice is however to play for England, the country of his birth rather than Ghana, the country of his father.

The Chelsea youth product's path to the English national team however looks bleak with Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, Manchester United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Manchester City’s Kyle Walker and Chelsea’s Reece James all vying for the same position.

Meanwhile, the Black Stars have struggled to fight a consistent right back for the national team despite Andy Yiadom making the position his own.