Ray Parlour has urged Tammy Abraham to commit his international future to England amid Nigeria's attempt to lure the Chelsea striker away from the Three Lions.
The 21-year-old, whose father is Nigerian, has featured at every youth level for England and already has two senior caps.
However, he has yet to make a competitive international appearance which allows him to switch allegiance, and Nigeria have reportedly made contact in an attempt to secure his services.
Despite an impressive start to the campaign, with four goals in his two most recent Premier League games, the Blues striker was left out of Gareth Southgate's squad for the upcoming Euro qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo.
But former England international Parlour insists Abraham will get his chance if he stays patient.
"If he keeps scoring goals, he will definitely get into the England squad," the ex-Arsenal midfielder told talkSPORT. "Jamie Vardy has retired and they're lacking a little bit up front.
"He's got an opportunity to be in the squad, but obviously he won't be in front of Harry Kane."
The debate surrounding international allegiance sprung up earlier this year when West Ham's Declan Rice committed his future to England, despite representing the Republic of Ireland on numerous occasions.
And Parlour suggests Abraham should consider loyalty when choosing between England and Nigeria.
"Once you start with a country as a youngster, I think you should stick with them," Parlour added.
"It's up to the player; he's looking at whether he'll get an opportunity.
"It's a battle, because there are a lot of good players at England, and you'll get a lot more caps if you go elsewhere."
Southgate is well aware of Abraham's talents, having coached the striker during his time in charge of England Under-21s.
Parlour continued: "As a manager, you'd be on the phone straight away saying, 'You're in my plans, keep playing as you are, and you'll get an opportunity'. That's what I'd be doing if I was Gareth Southgate."
Comments