Chelsea star Tammy Abraham named in England Under-21 squad after rumours of switch to Nigeria as Aidy Boothroyd prepares for Scotland and Andorra qualification games
- Tammy Abraham named in England Under-21 squad for Scotland and Andorra
- It comes after reports the Chelsea striker may switch allegiance to Nigeria
- Abraham denied the suggestion and reaffirmed his commitment to England
- Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles among the first-time picks by Aidy Boothroyd
- England play qualifiers against Scotland at Middlesbrough and away to Andorra
Tammy Abraham has been included in the England Under-21 squad just a week after denying he was considering switching allegiances to Nigeria.
The Swansea striker, on loan from Chelsea, has been called up by Aidy Boothroyd ahead of the Euro 2019 qualifiers against Scotland and Andorra next month.
Reports last week suggested the Nigeria Football Federation was hopeful of persuading him to play for the African nation as he qualifies through his father.
Tammy Abraham is in the England Under-21 squad despite rumours he might switch to Nigeria
Abraham, who is on loan from Chelsea, scored for Swansea against Watford last weekend
But Abraham, who has three goals in nine under-21 caps having also played at Euro 2017 this summer, insisted he remained available for England.
Abraham said at the time: 'I can confirm I met the President of the NFF after our last game against Tottenham at Wembley on Saturday given he is a friend of my father.
'However, any suggestion that I have made a decision to change my international representation is incorrect and wide of the mark.
'I have informed the FA that I remain available for selection for England.'
Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Nottingham Forest's Joseph Worrall and goalkeeper Dean Henderson, on loan at Shrewsbury from Manchester United, are the uncapped trio in the group.
Arsenal's Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been called up to the Under-21 squad for the first time
Ruben Loftus-Cheek, at Crystal Palace this season, has received a call-up
The Young Lions are joint top of Group 4 with Ukraine after a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands and a 3-0 win over Latvia in their opening games.
They face Scotland in Middlesbrough next Friday before travelling to Andorra for a game on October 10.
Boss Boothroyd said: 'The game with Scotland is an intriguing fixture and it's a really good game for us. The fact that the Scots beat the Dutch is good for the group I think, because it now sets it up nicely for our game with them.
'They're a team that will naturally want to beat us and they'll be working very hard to do that.
'Personally, as a passionate Englishman, I'm really looking forward to it.'
Harry Winks and Ruben Loftus-Cheek return after injury but Everton defender Mason Holgate has an ankle problem.
Dominic Solanke, the Liverpool forward, has been picked by Aidy Boothroyd
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