The international break is upon us, and the latest England squad is packed full of the usual suspects.
However, in another world, this England squad would be missing some of its biggest stars. Raheem Sterling could have been turning out for Jamaica, while Jack Grealish and Declan Rice could have played for Ireland.
Sadly, England are at risk of losing some other promising young talents in the coming years. Fikayo Tomori could turn out for Canada, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is eligible for DR Congo, while Michael Olise could choose to play for Algeria, France or Nigeria.
A number of players who could have turned out for England have chosen to play for other nations, and with that in mind, we’re going to look at an XI of international players who could’ve played for the Three Lions.
GK: Emi Martinez
After spending eight years at Arsenal, Martinez has been eligible for British citizenship for quite some time, and at one point, he was tipped for an England call-up.
Unfortunately for the Three Lions, his marked improvement at Aston Villa has seen Martinez since establish himself as their number one.
Martinez probably doesn’t regret his choice as he’s now a Copa America winner.
RB: Matty Cash
Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash recently switched his allegiance to Poland, and after Kyle Walker-Peters was called up for England, he may be regretting not waiting on a Three Lions call.
CB: Michael Hector
Centre-half is undoubtedly the weak spot in this side. Fulham’s Michael Hector gets the nod in the defence as the Jamaica international was born and raised in London.
CB: Liam Cooper
Leeds United captain Liam Cooper may be a regular for Scotland these days, but he was born in Hull.
With England scrambling for a left-footed defender over the past couple of years, perhaps Cooper would have made an England squad if he’d waited on a call from the Three Lions.
LB: Antonee Robinson
Born in Milton Keynes, USA international Antonee Robinson could have played for England.
Robinson has been shining at Fulham this season, while his brilliant performances while at Wigan saw him almost join AC Milan.
CM: Giovanni Reyna
Another US international starts in our midfield. Borussia Dortmund starlet Giovani Reyna was born in Sunderland, and he could have chosen to play for England if he wished to.
CM: Scott McTominay
The Manchester United midfielder was born in Lancaster, but with a surname like McTominay, he was never going to play for anyone other than Scotland.
A regular for Manchester United, it’s fair to say that McTominay probably would have earned an England cap by now if he’d chosen the Three Lions.
AM: Jamal Musiala
This is one that England may regret for years to come.
Musiala represented England at U21 level on two occasions, but the Bayern Munich star opted to play for Germany at senior level where he has been capped nine times by the age of 19.
LW: Michail Antonio
Michail Antonio actually made the England squad on multiple occasions under both Sam Allardyce and Gareth Southgate, but he was never given his maiden cap.
The West Ham ace eventually chose to turn out for Jamaica, but due to a poor qualification campaign, he won’t be going to the World Cup with the Reggae Boyz later this year.
ST: Erling Haaland
The one that got away. Erling Haaland was born in Leeds, but the Borussia Dortmund star opted to follow in his father’s footsteps and represent Norway.
With the likes of Sander Berge, Kristoffer Ajer and Martin Odegaard coming through, the Scandinavian outfit could be on the verge of a golden generation.
RW: Adama Traore
There was a very narrow window back in 2020 when Traore could have played for England.
Five years on from joining Aston Villa, Traore had spent five years in the UK by 2020, making him eligible for British citizenship.
With Spain and Mali squabbling over who he should represent, Traore was undeclared at international level at the time, and if he wished to, he could have turned out for England.
Traore eventually opted to play for Spain, and he’s now a regular for Luis Enrique’s side.
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