Jack Wilshere against England claiming Januzaj once Manchester United starlet qualifies on residency grounds
Jack Wilshere against England claiming Januzaj once Manchester United starlet qualifies on residency grounds
Belgium-born youngster has a chance to wear the Three Lions in a few years' time but Arsenal midfielder doesn't think he should
Man of the world: Januzaj already qualifies to play for several countries
Mike Hewitt
Jack Wilshere has insisted only Englishmen should be allowed to play for England. Manchester United’s teen sensation Adnan Januzaj has opened a debate about the selection policy for the international team.
The
18-year-old was born in Belgium and lived there until the age of 16,
but could also play for Albania, Turkey or Serbia - and would potentially be eligible for England in 2018 through residency.
But
Wilshere, whose Arsenal team-mate Mikel Arteta - a Spaniard - nearly
got the call to wear the Three Lions a few seasons ago, launched a
passionate defence explaining why the FA should retain the sovereignty
of the England team.
In recent years, the England cricket team has selected several players born and raised in South Africa.
But Wilshere, 21, preparing for a crucial World Cup qualifier against Montenegro
on Friday, said: “For me, if you are English, you are English and you
play for England. The only people who should play for England are
English people. No Lion: Five years' residency won't make Januzaj English says Wilshere
Reuters
“If you live in England for five years, it doesn’t make you English. You shouldn’t play.
“It
doesn’t mean you can play for a country. If I went to Spain and lived
there for five years, I am not going to play for Spain.
“We have to remember what we are.
“We are English and we tackle hard and we are tough on the pitch and we are hard to beat. We have great characters.
“You
think of Spain and you think technical football, but you think of
England and you think they are brave and they tackle hard and we have to
remember that.”
Wilshere also warned the FA should try to ensure England continue to be managed by Englishmen, even though he made his debut under Roy Hodgson’s Italian predecessor, Fabio Capello.
He
added: “I think it’s better if there is an Englishman, but don’t get me
wrong, Capello did a lot for my England career. He gave me my debut and
stuck with me from a young age so he was a good manager.”
However,
former England star John Barnes, who was born in Jamaica but wore the
Three Lions 79 times, backed Januzaj to follow in his footsteps.
Barnes
said: “In 1983, when I played for England, Jamaica never had a chance
of qualifying for the World Cup - they weren’t that interested in
football yet.
“I don’t know about Albania or Kosovo, but it’s a
question of if he was French, would he choose England over France? But
if he decides he wants to play for England, then I don’t see why not.”
*
MONTENEGRO are facing an injury crisis ahead of their date at Wembley.
Striker Mirko Vucinic, centre-backs Miodrag Dzudovic and Marko Basa,
goalkeeper Mladen Bozovic and midfielder Miodrag Pekovic are all likely
to be out.
No comments:
Post a Comment