United States youth national team starlet Noahkai Banks said he is still considering whether his international future lies with the U.S. or Germany, despite being tipped for a place in Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup squad this summer.
Banks, 19, was born in Honolulu to an American father and a Spanish-German mother. The defender came up through the youth academy of FC Augsburg and has become a regular in the Bundesliga club’s first team this season.
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After representing the U.S. at multiple youth levels, Banks’ impressive performances with Augsburg earned him a first call-up to the senior national team last September.
But Banks didn’t see any playing time in that camp and has remained in contact with representatives of both national teams. And he insists he won’t be rushed into committing for either the U.S. or Germany, despite the potential prize of playing in a World Cup in just over three months.
“Even though playing at a World Cup is a dream, I don’t want to make my decision dependent on a World Cup,” he told Sky Sport Germany. “I feel connected to both nations.”
Banks was speaking after his latest star turn, supplying a fine assist after a rampaging run to give Augsburg the lead in their 2-0 win over FC Cologne on Friday. The result extended Augsburg’s unbeaten run to eight matches.
“It’s all really enjoyable at the moment, and it’s perhaps impossible to fully explain why things are going so well,” Banks said. “We’re just a brilliant team unit.
“We have fun in the dressing room and, as soon as we step out onto the pitch, we’re fully focused. This balance is what’s making things click right now.”
Pochettino has referred to Banks as a “massive talent” and the center-back has said he enjoyed his first experience with the U.S. men’s national team.
“I really enjoyed the camp, to be honest, because I thought as a young guy, maybe I will get treated differently,” Banks told ESPN recently.
“But how the guys helped me to get into the team and into the training, it was incredible, to be honest. Also, the big guys like Christian Pulisic or Tim Weah, we maybe don’t expect it, but it has been great.”
