Former Manchester United starlet Tosin Kehinde has revealed the thinking behind his decision to pledge his international future to Nigeria despite living in the United Kingdom for more than ten years.

Now on loan at Danish club Randers from Feirense in Portugal, the winger cum midfielder was part of the Dream Team squad that traveled to Tunisia for an U23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Libya last March but was a non-playing substitute.

Although Kehinde was surrounded by English players during his time at Manchester United, he said he always felt Nigerian to the core thanks to the training he received from his mom and the friends he kept.

"Even though that I've grown up in the United Kingdom I've always been surrounded by Nigerians," Kehinde told Eagles Tracker when asked why he chose to play for Nigeria over England.

"My mom is always trying to ingrain that in me, the friends that I have, my closest friends, are Nigerians.

"Of course when you are in the United bubble, you can be carried away with the English things but when I get home it is all about Nigeria - from the food that I eat, everything.

"My own community is just Nigeria so it has always been in me. I feel Nigeria, we as a people, it means more to us, the football and playing for the fans you can see how much it means to the fans for the team to do well.

"When you are doing well and when the team does well I don't think another group of people will love you as much as Nigerians."

The 21-year-old Kehinde spent seven years at the Manchester United Academy before joining Portuguese setup Feirense in August 2018.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel