{"id":27102,"date":"2026-03-22T11:04:27","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:04:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/22\/premier-league-wonderkid-switches-allegiance-from-england-ahead-of-world-cup\/"},"modified":"2026-03-22T11:04:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-22T11:04:27","slug":"premier-league-wonderkid-switches-allegiance-from-england-ahead-of-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/22\/premier-league-wonderkid-switches-allegiance-from-england-ahead-of-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Premier League wonderkid switches allegiance from England ahead of World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Thomas Tuchel named his penultimate squad before selecting players to represent England at the World Cup, but the Three Lions manager hinted that young players could be included.<\/h2>\n
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Matheus Mane plays for England at U-18 level<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n
Wolverhampton Wanderers star Matheus Mane has been named in Portugal’s latest Under-21 squad after pondering his international future. The 18-year-old, who burst into the limelight in 2026, is eligible to compete in both his country of birth and the country he moved to as a child.<\/p>\n
Mane, who was born in Barreiro, Portugal, had represented England at youth level and manager Lee Carsley was interested in promoting him to the 21-a-side.<\/p>\n
However, Portugal were also keen to sign the forward after a string of impressive performances for struggling Wolves. Senior manager Roberto Martinez is also believed to have taken up the role and has been in contact with Wolves technical director Matt Jackson, with whom he played at Wigan.<\/p>\n
And that further push appears to have proved decisive, as Mane will be included in the Selecao squad for upcoming matches.<\/p>\n
read more: How 7th place in the Premier League table will qualify for the Champions League once UEFA confirms the rules<\/span><\/span>read more: England release new kit for 2026 World Cup as Nike opts for bold away strip<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
Mane made his debut for Wolves in the Premier League in May last year and made his first start under manager Rob Edwards in the defeat to Liverpool in December.<\/p>\n
Since then, he has become a regular at Edwards, scoring against Everton and West Ham and contributing to the club’s significant improvement in form.<\/p>\n
There has already been speculation about his departure from the club, but for now it appears that the international decision has been made. Edwards spoke glowingly of the youngster and predicted a big future for the player, who was signed from Rochdale aged 16.<\/p>\n
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Mane is eligible to play for Portugal and England.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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He said: “He can go far. It was a really good start for him, but that’s it.”<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s made a lot of headlines and there’s a lot of noise about him, but there aren’t many 18-year-olds doing the same thing in the Premier League at the moment, especially in teams that have struggled this season.<\/p>\n
“He’s had a huge impact on us and he has a really, really bright future ahead of him.”<\/p>\n
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Matheus Mane has become a regular for Wolves under Rob Edwards.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Meanwhile, Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel recently hinted that he is ready to give players a chance regardless of their age, with Arsenal wonderland Max Daumann, 16, keen to include him in his squad for the next World Cup.<\/p>\n
When asked about Dauman, Tuchel said: “With these young players, of course we know all the players. We look at them the same way you do.” \u201cWe might need to keep the excitement up for the young guys to keep the momentum going.<\/p>\n
“They have a level of fearlessness. We don’t need to bring him in right now and increase the pressure and all the noise that comes with it, but we have all the options.”<\/p>\n
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![\"Matheus](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36904776.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/0_GettyImages-2170864828jpgMate.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Mane](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36904775.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2170877393jpgib.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"Matheus](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36904784.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-2254498956.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>![\"content](\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article33374947.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s510b\/0_Sky-Factbox.jpg\"\/)
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