Januzaj could play for Kosovo – but it won't end England hopes

Man Utd teenager is being urged to make 'symbolic' appearance in Kosovo's first international match

adnan.jpg
(Image credit: Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

MANCHESTER UNITED'S teenage winger Adnan Januzaj, more used to worrying about impressing girls at Nando's than global football diplomacy, is coming under "increasing political pressure" to make his international debut for Kosovo in their inaugural international next month, a friendly against Haiti.

The 19-year-old, who signed a new five-year-deal with Manchester United last October, was born in Belgium to Kosovan-Albanian parents and is also eligible to play Serbia after Kosovo declared independence from the country in 2008. In addition the teenager has Turkish grandparents while he could also play for England by 2018 because Fifa rules permit a player to represent a team if "he has lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Bill Mann is a football correspondent for The Week.co.uk, scouring the world's football press daily for the popular Transfer Talk column.