But injury ruined any shot at taking up the historic opportunity.
We have often asked on this website, who will be the next Toon England international ... could it be Sammy?
Sammy Ameobi: “I was in the running for the Olympics but obviously it’s unfortunate that I had the injuries.
“I was fit before the end of the season but probably not fully and unfortunately I couldn’t participate in that.
“What can you do? It was an opportunity that I missed. I just need to keep pushing on.
“The manager spoke to me at first and said that I needed to keep my head up and I’d come back strong.
"He encouraged me to come back strong and said he would keep me in mind.”