Matt Turner praises Arsenal youngster Arteta loaned out last summer

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Matt Turner has praised one Arsenal youngster who has not actually played for Mikel Arteta’s side this season.

Of course, one of the talking points concerning Arsenal heading into this break was what the future holds for Folarin Balogun on the international stage.

Balogun has been in stunning form out on loan with Reims this season. The youngster has scored 17 goals in 27 Ligue 1 games for Will Still’s side.

Turner praises Folarin Balogun

The 21-year-old has played for England’s under-21s. But with Gareth Southgate overlooking him for the senior side, some associated with the USMNT will be hoping that Balogun may be starting to consider a change of scene.

Balogun was born in New York and has represented the US at under-18 level. And while he has not yet made a debut for England, there is a chance that he could switch his international allegiance.

Turner was asked about the prospect of Balogun doing that and whether he had spoken to his Gunners teammate. And he suggested that he would love to play alongside him for club and country.

“I’ve spoken to Flo we obviously had most of our preseason together. And I knew going into it that he had some roots in the US,” he said, as reported by the Daily Mail.

“So him and I developed a relationship pretty quickly. And yeah, that’s pretty much the extent of it, we check in on each other here and there. 

“And yeah, he’d be a great addition to our national team. I think he’s done really well, obviously, for his club on on loan, and we’ll see, you know, the decision has to come from the heart.”

The US were crying out for a better striker during the World Cup. They showed some real promise during the tournament. But they did not capitalise on many of the chances they created.

Balogun meanwhile, faces a really tough task trying to get in the England team. Harry Kane surely has some time left as the team’s talisman. And he will have seen how difficult others have found it to break in.

If he wants to earn himself a raft of caps at international level, he may well need to seriously consider opting to play for the US.

Given the talent they have coming through though, that could definitely be an exciting option for the youngster.