Arsenal u16 star Malcolm Ebiowei has been advised to turn down his call-up for Nigeria ahead of the u17 World Cup in Brazil.

AllNigeriaSoccer report that a “foreign-born Nigerian player on the books of a London club” reached out to the Arsenal youngster and told him not to waste time and money accepting the call-up for Nigeria, because of the intricacies involved in selecting the final u17 World Cup squad.

To clarify, Ebiowei hasn’t yet been called up for the World Cup squad, just for a training camp in Abuja, which will double as a trial for the tournament.

Whilst attending the event may well give the 15-year-old the chance to break into the Nigeria u17 side, it could also lead to nothing but missed club matches.

With Arsenal, Ebiowei is in great form. The youngster scored one and assisted three against Aston Villa u16s just over a week ago, before scoring again at the weekend against West Ham.

If he’s not getting any guarantees of a spot in the u17 World Cup squad for Nigeria, the attacking midfielder may well be better off simply continuing to impress in his domestic matches.

Ebiowei has previously played for the Netherlands u15s and England u16s, with his international future still open at this stage.