Another player is set to snub England in favour of a move for DR Congo if he is ignored by Gareth Southgate in the next squad announcement.
Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka is ready to ditch the Three Lions as he considers representing the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The 23-year-old right-back has not yet been capped by boss Gareth Southgate due to the amount of options he has in the position.
Because the Premier League player is constantly knocked back and overlooked, its got to him so much that he is reportedly making him re-think his England future, according to The Athletic.
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If Wan-Bissaka isn’t selected in Southgate’s side’s upcoming matches at the end of March, it is thought he will decide to represent Congo.
The former Crystal Palace player made apperances for both England and Congo at youth level, but is yet to play senior international football.
He was picked by Southgate for England’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Kosovo and Bulgaria in August, but pulled out of the squad due to a back injury frustratingly for him.
Reports of Wan-Bissaka potentially not being part of the England set-up comes just one week after 18-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder Jamal Musiala opted to represent Germany despite featuring for the Three Lions throughout his youth career.
The winger, 17, was born in Stuttgart but spent much of his childhood in England, playing for Chelsea’s academy.
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He played for England Under-21s recently and scored in November’s 5-0 thrashing of Albania.
However, after shining in the Bundesliga, he feels more committed to the senior Germany side ahead of next month’s internationals and he has now agreed to represent the 2014 World Cup winners.
England’s latest squad for their games against San Marino, Albania and Poland is planned to be announced on the 18th of March.
The three matches will act as a final chance and in preparation for Southgate to look at players he may want to include in his Euro 2020 side before he announces the 23-man squad at the beginning of June.
Another player, West Ham forward Michail Antonio, is reportedly set to ditch international allegiance England so that he can play for the Caribbean island nation in a bid to play in the 2022 World Cup.
Antonio has previously turned down the chance to represent Jamaica in 2016 and was later called up to England squads by Sam Allardyce as well as Gareth Southgate, however he didn’t make his debut.
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According to The Telegraph, Antonio will accept Jamaica’s fresh approach with their Football Federation hoping he will be available for the CONCACAF qualifiers in September against Mexico and Costa Rica.
The 30-year-old’s form for the Hammers has seen them climb into the Champions League places of the Premier League table, despite missing the start of the campaign through injury.
England have plenty of options up front with the likes of Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Danny Ings part of the last squad selected by Southgate.
Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling can also be played through the middle, so you can see why Antonio isn’t a contender to break through.
Antonio revealed he rejected several approaches from Jamaica in 2016 because of his dream to play for England.
Speaking after he was called up to the squad by Allardyce, he said: ‘I turned down an approach from Jamaica in March and for this to happen so quickly, I’m buzzing. I just want to keep my feet on the floor.
‘In my first season in the Premier League, even though I had good stats, the England manager would have had to take a risk on me.
‘It looks like the gaffer now believes that I’ve done enough to be in there, so hopefully I can prove him right.’
He was then called up by Gareth Southgate in 2017 though he was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury.
The current Jamaica squad is starting to impress many, as it includes former West Ham and Manchester United player Ravel Morrison, who previously played for England youth sides. Fulham’s Bobby Decordova-Reid and Michael Hector are also regulars.
Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey is also in the first team, giving a big boost to the Jamaican outfit.
The ‘Reggae Boyz’ last qualified for the World Cup in 1998, with current boss Theodore Whitmore scoring the two goals in their famous victory over Japan.
Fans reacted with another player to snub England for DR Congo if ignored by Southgate…
@Jamie_the_bear: If AWB got converted into a CB, then yeah he would have a shot at getting into the England team because he’s got the pace, tackling and power for the position. He just needs to work on his aerial ability and he will be good to go. At Full back, England are well stocked.
@HatedMNU: Southgate gonna ruin our next golden generation man…
@jppmanutd1984: England’s loss. Best right back in the country
@Danwatts93: Selecting a National team should be based upon what country you’d feel the most pride wearing the jersey for, not which manager will pick you. As an United and England fan, this is a massive turn off as it suggests there’s not much passion to play for England.
@UTDFEVER_6: Good for him his improved a lot these few months in terms of going forward but I tell u now no RB in that England squad can do what he does from a defensive point
@Utd_Al3x: Southgate is clueless
@TomMUFC02: Good, painful enough seeing him try to control a ball for us, would be even worse if he did it for England, we have like 10 better RBs for England anyway
@DvvidUTD: Best RB in England (from defensive POV) & is improving in the attack, he should be the sub at least
@primal1017: Would speak volumes about his mentality and confidence that he’d rather take an easy option than back himself to get into the England team . He shouldn’t get in atm, he needs to work on his overall game first. Most games England are the stronger team so don’t need a defensive rb
@BoogieJaffa: No brainer playing in the African Cup of Nations will take his game to the next level.
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