Man City starlet Floyd Samba could have huge England decision to make with four countries eligible
Manchester City starlet Floyd Samba scored twice on his senior debut in a 5-0 win over Championship side Norwich City - and he may be picking up the phone to England manager Thomas Tuchel if he continues his trajectory.
Samba scored an overhead kick in City's 2-1 FA Youth Cup final win over Manchester United last season and has trained with the first team on several occasions, but was trusted by Enzo Maresca to make his senior bow at the Etihad Stadium.
The 17-year-old responded with two well-taken goals, the second of those being a curling right-footed effort into the bottom right corner from 18 yards out. His performances will catch the attention of the Three Lions - and others besides.
Floyd Samba's international allegiance dilemma
Samba is the son of former Premier League defender Christopher Samba, who played for Blackburn and Queens Park Rangers during his playing career.
The now 42-year-old played for Congo at international level but was actually born in France, with his son eligible to represent both of those nations at international level.
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The younger Samba was born in Macclesfield, and can also represent Germany through his mother.
He therefore has his pick of which teams to represent at international level, and has previously played for England in the age groups up to the U17s.
But a key decision made only this week may have a big impact on his decision. Samba has been called up to Germany's U19 squad for their upcoming fixtures during the international break.
However, the 17-year-old is yet to make his final decision in regards to international allegiance, and can keep his options open until the point at which he plays three senior international matches - in a competitive tournament - for one nation.
Still, there will no doubt be work going on behind the scenes among those four nations in an attempt to convince Samba to represent them, in the hope that he will deliver on his undoubted potential and play for them in the future.
It is not always the case that international managers are involved in those discussions. Gareth Southgate said he 'backed away' from convincing Declan Rice, then 19, to switch allegiance from Republic of Ireland to England back in 2019.
But Portugal manager Roberto Martinez, who quit his role after the World Cup, is believed to have spoken to Wolves about their midfielder Mateus Mane switching allegiance from England earlier this year. Mane has now been capped at U21 level by Portugal, having previously represented England.
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'Satisfying...' - Enzo Maresca on Floyd Samba debut
Speaking to reporters after City's 5-0 win, head coach Enzo Maresca said of Samba's debut: "Yeah, satisfying. Not just for the two goals - I think for the entire performance, he was good.
"He didn't play many games as a nine, we trained the last two or three days. And as I said yesterday, he's very good also at finishing the action. So I think it was a very good game for him.
"I asked him in the last three or four days, when I decided to play him as a number nine, I asked him if he played as a nine in the past. He said he'd never played. He's not a nine, for sure, but he was good. He's young, he's full of energy, he's strong, he can finish, he can set. And in the first half, he made some good decisions in terms of passes that he made. So happy but, again, they are young and we need to go slowly, slowly with them."
Topics: Man City, England, Thomas Tuchel, Carabao Cup
Ryan Smart