**Divine Mukasa’s call up to the England U21’s is a sign of a positive loan – but also a reminder to West Ham that he is not ours.**
The club confirmed this morning that the 19-year-old has been moved up to Lee Carsley’s England U21 squad for the rest of their European Championship qualifiers.
He’d only made his U20 debut in Friday’s 3-1 win over Italy. Injury withdrawals have opened the door, and he’s walked straight through it.
Mukasa has two goals for West Ham already this season. He’s shown the composure and quality in the Championship that made so many of us gutted when he departed for Man City.
Now he could make his U21 debut against Slovakia at Stoke on Friday, and he might play the Republic of Ireland in Cork next Tuesday.
Some people still think dropping into the Championship would stall young players’ careers. Mukasa is proving the opposite.
Week in, week out, he’s playing men’s football in a tough, physical league, in a side chasing promotion. That’s exactly the education England’s coaches want to see.
It’s the best advert we’ve had for sending young talent our way. Koppen will be using it for years.
This is where the excitement needs a reality check though however, as Mukasa is on loan from Manchester City. Every good performance and every England promotion pushes his value up, and City will be watching.
We’ve heard he turned down three Premier League sides to come back to east London. We’ve also heard about a gentleman’s agreement with City. The details of that arrangement matter far more than any call-up.
If he keeps going like this, the question isn’t whether we want him permanently. It’s whether we can get him.
Now, with the turmoil unfolding in Manchester at present… is that looking more likely? It’s hard to say but definitely one we need to all keep in mind as the drama continues.