‘He wants to play for France’ – Michael Olise’s international future clarified | OneFootball

Michael Olise’s (22) international future is still up in the air. The Crystal Palace winger has played for France at youth level and has been called up by Les Bleus for this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris. He also has the possibility of playing for England, Algeria and Nigeria, however, according to Thierry Henry, the manager of the Olympic squad, his decision has already been made.

Last month, England manager Gareth Southgate said that Olise was a player that he was “interested” in, despite not selecting him as part of his squad for this summer’s Euros. He wasn’t selected by Didier Deschamps either, meaning that he remains free to choose between all four nations.

‘If he was English, he would have already left to play for England’ – Henry on Olise

However, it looks to be a two-horse race between France and England and it is the latter that are best placed to welcome Olise into the international set-up, according to Henry.

“We know that he has plenty of possibilities but he wants to play for France,” said Henry in a press conference earlier this week. “You have to highlight his desire to show that he wants to play for L’Équipe de France. If he was English, he would have already left to play for England. He could have made the other choice and played the Euros with the England team, like his teammate Eberechi Eze at Crystal Palace but he wants to play for France, knowing that he wouldn’t play in the Euros,” he added.  With Olise seemingly set to join Bayern Munich, the forward’s future at club and international level is beginning to look clearer.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle