• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Former Man Utd player switches international allegiance from England to DR Congo

Home> Football> Football News> Man Utd

Updated 13:03 23 Mar 2024 GMTPublished 13:02 23 Mar 2024 GMT

Former Man Utd player switches international allegiance from England to DR Congo

He played for England's U19, U20 and U21 sides earlier in his career.

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan

England head into Euro 2024 as one of the pre-tournament favourites, with Gareth Southgate's squad packed full of talent.

The Three Lions have several Ballon d'Or contenders in their ranks, including Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden – all in excellent form for their respective clubs.

England take on Brazil in a friendly on Saturday night and unusually head into the match against the five-time World Cup winners as favourites to win.

Advert

The game could see Kobbie Mainoo make his senior debut for England, after he received a shock call-up to the squad earlier this week.

Mainoo was originally included in England's U21 squad after being left out of the senior group by Southgate.

However, the Three Lions boss later changed his mind and included Mainoo, who could now face Brazil at Wembley.

Advert

Mainoo is still eligible to represent Ghana, the country of parents' birth in international football, and Southgate's decision to call up the midfielder could be partly based on the need to secure his long-term future for the national side.

Such is the quality and depth of talent in the current England squad, several former youth players have declared their international allegiance to other countries in recent years.

Brighton defender Tariq Lamptey opted to play for Ghana in 2022 with several names ahead of him at right-back for England.

Meanwhile, last year former Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun chose to play for the United States instead of England.

Advert

Now, another former England U21 international has declared his allegiance to another country.

Former Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe, who played for England U19, U20 and U21 sides, has switched his allegiance to Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Fabrizio Romano shared an image of Ipswich Town defender Tuanzebe posing with a DR Congo shirt to X, confirming the switch.

Advert

The defender's only appearance for England’s U21 side came against Ukraine in 2017.

He was called up to a preliminary DR Congo squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, but did not take part in the tournament.

He could, however, make his debut for the country of his birth when they face Senegal in a World Cup qualifier in June.

A United academy graduate, Tuanzebe made his senior debut for the club in 2017 and made 37 appearances for the club before eventually leaving to join Ipswich in 2023.

Advert

He has since made 14 appearances for the Championship side, playing under former United coach Kieran McKenna.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: England, Euro 2024, Gareth Southgate, Kobbie Mainoo, Axel Tuanzebe

Rory O'Callaghan
Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

X

@rory_ocallaghan

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

10 mins ago
11 mins ago
28 mins ago
an hour ago
  • 10 mins ago

    Sam Quek breaks silence after backlash from Man Utd fans over Soccer Aid incident

    Sam Quek featured for England in the 2025 Soccer Aid charity clash at Old Trafford but caused a bit of a stir.

    Football
  • 11 mins ago

    Napoli activate new Scott McTominay clause that shows his true value after Kevin De Bruyne arrival

    Scott McTominay has had a great impact on Napoli's Scudetto win and is expected to be a key part next season even with Kevin De Bruyne.

    Football
  • 28 mins ago

    Paddy McGuinness issues statement on Carlos Tevez after Angry Ginge brands Soccer Aid opponent a 't***'

    The comedian has spoken out after Angry Ginge's controversial comments.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Steph Houghton makes her feelings clear on Leonardo Bonucci taking her out with crunching tackle at Soccer Aid

    Steph Houghton was on the receiving end of a crunching challenge from Leonardo Bonucci in the 2025 Soccer Aid game at Old Trafford.

    Football
  • Forgotten England player's international career officially lasted zero minutes but still isn't the shortest on record
  • Former England star urges Gareth Southgate to build team around one player ahead of Euro 2024 quarter-final
  • Gareth Southgate 'likely' to make team selection decision for Slovakia game that will divide opinion
  • England player ratings from 0-0 draw with Slovenia as Conor Gallagher and Kieran Trippier struggle