Folarin Balogun, who currently plays for Will Still’s Reims on loan from Arsenal, is tearing up Ligue 1. The England U21s star has scored 17 goals in 27 league games so far this season.

However, if the Three Lions are not careful, he could choose to play for another international team – namely, the USA. While Balogun was born in Brooklyn, New York, he has played for England at several different youth levels.

Balogun is just 21 years old – he is far from the finished product. If he continues developing, he could turn into one of the world’s leading strikers. Should this occur and he does not declare for England, Gareth Southgate and his England setup will only have themselves to blame.

Despite this, he also represented the USA in his youth, too – though only at U18 level, where he scored two goals in four appearances. At club level, Balogun has made just two Arsenal appearances – last year, he also had a mixed loan spell at Middlesbrough.

England are not starved for choices in the striker position. They already have top talents such as Ivan Toney, Callum Wilson and the legendary Harry Kane – but strength in depth never goes amiss.

If Balogun does slip through England’s fingers, it would not be for the first time. England notably missed out on adding former Manchester United winger Wilfried Zaha to their ranks, after he declared for the Ivory Coast in 2017. Jamal Musiala who left Chelsea chose to represent Germany and he is making his decision to leave England hurt pretty bad as he is excelling for both Bayern and Germany.

Have the FA learned their lesson? Or will Balogun just be another one who got away?