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Is this the REAL reason these three players have been called up to England?
By Isaac Stacey Stronge,
2 days ago
With the team having come so close to Euro 2024 glory just months ago, new England boss Lee Carsley might have been expected to keep it simple when naming his first senior Three Lions squad.
Could this shout be part of a long-term Carsley masterstroke?
If any of the three get on to the pitch for this Nations League double-header, it would represent their first senior England cap. In an age where dual nationality is commonplace and switching between national teams is easier than ever before, this could be important.
Players can switch allegiances if they have ancestral, birth or citizenship ties to a country other than their first nation, but FIFA rules dictate that they can only swap if they appeared no more than three times for their original country before the age of 21. In short, with Livramento, Madueke and Gomes all now 21 or older, a single appearance for England in these games would tie them to the Three Lions.
Noni Madueke earned a recent callup for England after a Premier League hat-trick (Image credit: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
That’s significant because the trio all have access to play for other nations, despite all being born in London.
Aside from England, Livramento is eligible for Portugal through his father and Scotland through his mother, Madueke could turn out for Nigeria and Gomes can pick between Portugal and Angola .
Carsley, as Under-21s boss, has seen all three of these players pass through the youth ranks at St George Park and knows what they’re capable of. Could tying them down to England have been Carsley’s motivation?
Lee Carsley has managed England sides at youth level before taking over from the departed Gareth Southgate on an interim basis (Image credit: Getty Images)
Probably not.
Although it’s a welcome bonus to confirm them as definite options going forward, they all make their way to the England camp on merit, after putting together admirable seasons for their respective clubs. Midfield maestro Gomes has just come off the back of a 31-appearance season in Ligue 1 which saw him provide eight assists towards Lille ’s respectable fourth-placed finish.
Back in the Premier League , Madueke has managed to truly breakthrough into a bulging Chelsea side and just last month netted a Cole Palmer -supplied hat-trick against Wolves. Livramento has done similar at Newcastle , becoming a regular feature of Eddie Howe ’s backline despite his young years, and played a key role in the Magpies’ Champions League adventure last term.
All three have earned the attention they've received from Carsley, but it certainly won’t harm to have them available to call up in years to come.
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