Omari Hutchinson, Ipswich Town’s loan player, has disclosed that he turned off call-ups from both England and Jamaica in order to focus on getting the Suffolk club promoted to the Premier League, and that he is open to returning to Portman Road next season.
The 20-year-old Chelsea player was man-of-the-match in Town’s 6-0 victory against relegation-threatened Sheffield Wednesday, scoring the first and fourth goals and setting up Ali Al-Hamadi for the sixth.
It was a result that saw the Blues rebound from their stoppage-time defeat at Cardiff City in spectacular fashion, propelling them back into the top two ahead of Leeds United, who play tomorrow before heading out for the international break.
However, while some of his teammates would be representing their country, Hutchinson said that he turned down two call-ups.
The attacking midfielder or winger has appeared in two friendlies for Jamaica, where his father Leon was born, against Catalonia in May 2022 and Trinidad and Tobago in March 2023. He’s also represented England at the U17 and U19 levels.
“I was called up for both England and Jamaica, but I said, ‘Look, I want to focus on getting promoted this season, not on internationals,'” said the Redhill, Surrey-born player.
“There are a lot of games, and my body is sore because it’s my first season playing men’s football. I basically stated I wanted to leave everything out and focus on Ipswich.”
When asked what level he was called up for England, he said: “I’m not sure, it’s either 20s or 21s, I couldn’t tell you, they didn’t let me know, but I got called up and then the Jamaica first team as well.”
Regarding which country he wants to represent in the future, he said: “It’s a tough decision; my family and I are always talking about it, and I’ve got a lot of time to think about it as well.”
“As long as I’m performing well in my club football, there will always be opportunities for both. But, as I have stated, it is difficult and I am unsure what to select, so I simply requested that you leave me out so that I can focus on Ipswich.”
Hutchinson was voted the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Month for February after either scoring or contributing an assist in five consecutive games was also asked whether Town fans could see him return to the club next season.
“It will be a difficult one, and I don’t know the answer, but maybe, I hope so, why not?
“Listen, I can’t tell you where I’m going to play, we’ll see in the summer what’s the right move and decision for myself.”
When asked if he enjoyed his time in Town, he said, “100 percent.”
When asked if Ipswich would be his top club if he went out on loan again, he replied, “It’s a tricky one. As I previously stated, I’m not sure; that would be one of my main possibilities if everyone agreed, but I can’t give you an accurate answer right now; you’ll have to wait and see in the summer.
“I’ll talk to my family and my agency and we’ll see what the best decision is for myself.”
Hutchinson, who has one professional appearance for Chelsea, as a substitute against Manchester City in January 2023, felt that the Sheffield Wednesday game was his greatest in an Ipswich shirt, as he increased his goal tally to seven. “Most definitely,” he said. “It was enjoyable to play in.”
The Chelsea youngster demonstrated his tricks and delicate touches as he stated his desire to start in the number 10 position in Conor Chaplin’s absence due to injury.
“That’s what the manager told me to do, he said when you play just enjoy, entertain the crowd and play your best game.”
When asked if Pele, who had previously lauded him after watching him as a 12-year-old in a south London tournament he was holding, would have approved, he laughed and said, “I hope so.”
When asked what his favorite part of the performance was, he replied, “I think it was everything. I believe we were relentless; we had to kill them off and keep scoring goals; we didn’t stop, and it was fun to play.”
When asked if he thought they could have scored more goals, he answered, “I think with another five minutes we could have gotten another one or two.”
Hutchinson again demonstrated his selflessness by setting up the final goal for Al-Hamadi to finish from close range.
“When I got in the box, I thought it was the right decision,” said the athlete, who spent his boyhood with Charlton Athletic and Arsenal before rejoining Chelsea for the 2022/23 season.
“It was a bit too tight for me, maybe I could have dinked it as the boys said, but I saw him there and it was a great finish from him.”
When asked if the manager had encouraged him to take on more people and express himself, he replied: “As I said, playing the 10 role, when you get the ball on the half turn, just get into the midfield, get at the defence, and cause havoc.”
When asked if he would have started if Chaplin were fit, he replied, “I’m not sure. We don’t know the team until the last minute, so I can’t really tell you.
“It’s not my decision; even if I’m on the bench, I try to have the same influence as if I started and give the squad as much energy as I can; that’s the most important thing.
“This team is very unselfish and everyone works hard for each other and that’s why we’re doing so well.”
He continued, “I believe I’ve been training quite well over the previous two weeks. I believe the Player of the Month [award] boosted my confidence, and I am very confident when I am performing at my best.
“When we’re training we’re always competing for starting spots and if we’re not it’s just come on and do your job and make an impact for the team.”
On his first goal, a pivotal moment in the game versus Wednesday, he stated, “I’ve forgotten how it was; I believe I just took a strong touch and reversed it.
“But I believe it was incredibly crucial because it got us started. As I have stated, we were really relentless in the game.
“I believe once we got that first goal, we were really confident and just continued going at them, creating a lot of opportunities.
“We did well on set pieces today, and we got three points. It was quite end-to-end; they had good technical players, and we had to stop them, but I think we did okay.
“They had a few chances when they could have scored but we stopped that and we just kept going.”
On his second goal, which eliminated any prospect of a comeback at the start of the second half, he said: “Broady passed it to me, and I just took a touch with my right foot and did a back-flip for you people. It was a good two goals for me.”
When asked how significant the victory was to the rest of the division, he said: “I think it’s a big statement 6-0, we killed them off, especially after the last game, which was very frustrating; that’s what we do to teams, and they did it to us, so we got a taste of our own medicine.”
“But I thought we’ve showed a lot of confidence there and we were relentless and hungry for more goals.”
When asked if he believed they could finish in the automatic promotion spots, he answered, “I think so, but we have to take it one game at a time. Every encounter requires us to be modest and show them what we’re made of, and whatever occurs will happen.”
The player, who has another year on his deal at Chelsea, was also asked if he had received any criticism from his parent club regarding his loan term.
“Not from Poch [Mauricio Pochettino], I just spoke with my loan manager, and they’re always keeping an eye on me every game and providing feedback to the first-team staff.” They all know, and as long as I’m performing, it’s all good.”
When asked if he expected things to go as smoothly as they have at Portman Road, he replied: “Not really; it was just wanting to get as much game-time as I could, even if it meant being in mid-table, as long as I’m getting minutes and performing.
“When I initially chatted with McKenna, he seemed like a really nice person. He has been in the academies and development, so he knows how the youth are, so for me it was the right step.
“I didn’t really care about getting promotion or anything like that, as long as we stayed in the Championship that was fine for me, just getting minutes under my belt and experience.”
When asked when he knew it was going to be a great season, he replied, “When we started winning. We won five games in a row to begin the season.
“Even the group is like a family; everyone works hard, and I don’t think you realize how hard these men work.
“Everyone is committed, the sessions are challenging, and it’s just a great group. Everyone is always going out with each other outside of training, and I believe it is the most crucial factor in why the bond is so strong.”
