Valencia teenage winger Yunus Musah has snubbed Ghana and decided to play for the country of his birth the USA.

The 18 year old was eligible to play for a lot of countries including Ghana where his parents hail from, the USA where he was born whiles his mother was on holidays, Italy where he grew up until he was nine and Enlgand where he played for and captained from U-15 to U-18.

Born in New York City and raised in Italy and England, Musah is expected to be named in the USA team that’ll face Northern Ireland and Jamaica in friendlies this month.

“I think it was pretty clear for me to decide to play for the United States,” said Musah, who was also eligible to represent Ghana. “First of all, I think it makes sense to represent the country I was born in. The moment I decided to play for the United States came one day when my heart told me that this was the best place for me. The project that we have now and for the future is so exciting, and it’s a great pleasure to be able to be a part of that. I can’t wait to get started.”

Musah joined Arsenal’s academy as a nine-year-old and represented England more than 30 times at multiple youth levels. He even captained the U-18 national team. After moving to Valencia in the summer of 2019, he was brought to the attention of U.S. assistant coach Nico Estevez, who had spent time at the Spanish club as an academy coach.

Berhalter and his staff established a connection with Musah, and last November he played friendlies against Wales and Panama. He started both games and meshed well with Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams.

Musah was a regular starter for Valencia until mid-December but has been a reserve more frequently in 2021. He's made 27 total appearances this season for Valencia, which sits 12th in La Liga. He has two goals. In December, he signed an extension with the club through 2026.