England new boy Tammy Abraham said he never considered playing for Nigeria's Super Eagles

ENGLAND'S new call-up Tammy Abraham has revealed that he never really considered playing for Nigeria despite endless speculation that he would feature for the Super Eagles as the team prepares for next year's World Cup.

Currently playing on loan at English Premiership side, Abraham has recently become the subject of a tussle between England and Nigeria. Abraham’s father is Nigerian and a childhood friend of Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) president Amaju Pinnick, who claimed in September that the striker had decided to play for the Super Eagles.

Amid the jostling, England manager Gareth Southgate decided to call Abraham up for the forthcoming friendlies against Germany and Brazil this week, to end all the speculation. Abraham has accepted the invitation and is currently in the England camp, from where he said he was delighted to feature for the Three Lions.

According to Abraham, he never considered playing for Nigeria at international level despite repeated overtures from the NFF. In the past, Abraham has played for the England U21 team and to feature for Nigeria, would have needed Fifa clearance.

Abraham said: “I see myself as being a long-term England player. That is where my main focus is and I am 100% focused here to try and get into that team.

"I was pretty set on England really and playing in the Premier League meant it would be nice to play in the England team as well. Nigeria interest was flattering but for me my main focus was here but it was nice to know that I was doing something right and going in the right direction.”

He is on loan at Swansea City from Chelsea and has scored five goals in his first 14 appearances for the Welsh club. England play world champions Germany at Wembley on Friday and tackle Brazil at the same venue on November 14 as they begin preparations for next year’s World Cup in Russia.

Nigeria will also have two matches over the coming week, with the Eagles playing Algeria in Algiers on November 11 and then face Russia on the 14th. Head coach Gernot Rohr and his players are currently camping in Morocco.

Over recent years, mixed race footballers and those with dual citizenship have increasingly been forced to pick between England and Nigeria. Like Dele Alli, Tammy chose to play for England, whereas the likes of Victor Moses, Ola Aina and Alex Iwobi have opted to play for the Super Eagles.