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1. Folarin Balogun (Reims, on loan from Arsenal)

An Arsenal striker being courted by numerous clubs has attracted no little interest from a few countries either. Balogun can represent Nigeria but this battle is between the United States, for whom the on-loan Reims forward played four times at U18 level, and England, whose U21 manager Lee Carsley has not been given “any inkling that he’s looking elsewhere”.

2. Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea)

It remains a vague curiosity that a centre-half with substantial Premier and Champions League experience at 23, who has captained England youth sides from the U16s through the U20s and also represented the U21s, has yet to seemingly even register on the radar of the seniors. Sierre Leone continue to quietly bide their time.

3. Carney Chukwuemeka (Chelsea)

Born in Austria to Nigerian parents, Chelsea midfielder Chukwuemeka has only donned England colours at youth level thus far. But the 19-year-old technically remains on the market.

4. Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace)

Having made a couple of preliminary tournament squads, Eze really ought to have bid farewell to the prospect of playing for Nigeria at international level long ago. But some rotten luck has coincided with dreadful form so things are in flux.

5. Anthony Gordon (Newcastle)

Scotland and the Republic of Ireland are thought to be sniffing around 27-cap England youth international Gordon, who might prefer to focus on Newcastle after a difficult first couple of months as a £45m forward.

6. Noni Madueke (Chelsea)

By the end of his seven-and-a-half year Chelsea contract, the picture should become much clearer for Madueke in terms of whether England follow up on his youth caps or Nigeria swoop in.

7. Reiss Nelson (Arsenal)

While Nelson’s impact on Arsenal’s Premier League title charge has been substantial, it will take more than 102 Premier League minutes to coax England into a battle with Zimbabwe over the former Young Lion.

8. Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal)

The folks at the Ghana FA must have resigned themselves to Nketiah becoming unattainable and making himself a prime Harry Kane understudy during the injury-enforced absence of Gabriel Jesus at Arsenal. But while the record England U21 goalscorer has rejected a call-up from the Black Stars before, which Three Lions pathway has closed again as his Gunners opportunities have dwindled.

9. Ryan Sessegnon (Spurs)

The distant cousin of 84-cap Benin international Stephane is thought to be eligible to represent The Cheetahs but Sessegnon would hope to find enough consistency with Spurs to follow up on an England youth career which saw him constantly picked above his age group.

10. Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Man Utd)

No longer does Wan-Bissaka wait by the phone expectedly for the call from Southgate. He is firmly out of the frame when it comes to right-backs and DR Congo will presumably try their luck in the future if they haven’t already.