Son of former Super Eagles left-back withdraws from England's Fifa U17 World Cup squad

The English Football Association has confirmed that Chelsea midfielder Landon Emenalo has withdrawn from the Young Lions squad for the upcoming 2025 Fifa U17 World Cup in Qatar, allnigeriasoccer.com reports. 

Emenalo, the son of former Nigeria international and ex-Chelsea technical director Michael Emenalo, was initially included in Neil Ryan's 21-man squad for the tournament but has been ruled out after sustaining an injury.

According to Chelsea Youth, the 17-year-old picked up a foot injury during Chelsea's UEFA Youth League victory over Ajax on October 22. 

He was substituted in the 61st minute, and it has now been confirmed that the change was injury-related rather than tactical.

Born in Tucson, Arizona, Emenalo is eligible to represent Nigeria, the United States and England through birth and parentage. 

However, the English FA currently lead the race for his international future, having provisionally cap-tied him following his competitive debut for the Young Lions in a European U17 Championship qualifier against Malta in October 2024.

His father, Michael Emenalo, represented Nigeria at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, deputising for the injured Benedict Iroha, before later serving as Chelsea’s technical director during a highly successful period for the club.

In Emenalo's absence, England's squad for Qatar still includes two players of Nigerian descent — West Ham goalkeeper Lanre Awesu and Chelsea striker Chizaram Ezenwata.

The Young Lions, who lifted the U17 World Cup title in 2017, have been drawn in Group C alongside Venezuela, Haiti and Egypt.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel

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