Nigeria and England are in a battle of wits over Arsenal starlet Alex Iwobi.
The 18-year-old – who is Nigeria legend Jay-Jay Okocha’s nephew – has been invited to attend a squad get together by the Nigerian FA.
Iwobi, who captain’s Arsenal’s Under 21 side, is highly rated at the Emirates Stadium and has already signed professional terms.
He has to decide whether his future lies with either England or Nigeria
The teenager, who was born in Lagos, has represented England at Under 16, Under 17 and Under 18 level but Nigeria want to snatch the forward from under the FA’s noses.
Iwobi is close to making his first-team breakthrough at the Emirates Stadium. He featured on the bench for Arsenal’s Champions League clash against Galatasaray in December.
The youngster, who can play on either wing, scored eight times in 35 appearances for Arsenal’s various youth sides last season.
He rejected an invitation to Nigeria’s Under-17 squad in 2012 because of the sloppy invitation directed at him to report within 24 hours of getting the call, with no tickets provided.
His parents were said to be unhappy about the poor planning and opted against letting him come.
But he has huge respect for his uncle Jay-Jay whom he used to watch while the latter played for Bolton Wanderers in England.
