A Premier League talent is embroiled in a tug-of-war between two countries after being called up twice for international duty.
Mateus Mane plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers and is tipped for a very bright future for club and country.
But he’ll have a big decision to make after both England and Portugal named him in their under-18s squads.
The Young Lions’ boss, Liam Bramley, wants Mane to play for the Young Lions in an upcoming tournament in Marbella.
Playing for England would mean facing Sweden next Friday, before facing either Ukraine or Netherlands in the final or third-place play-off of the four-team tournament.
But Portugal’s U18s boss also wants Mane to be available for a friendly with Turkey on Thursday evening.
The talented young forward is eligible for both nations having been born in Barreiro – just outside Lisbon – in September 2007.
He played for the academy academy of FC Barreirense, but moved to England in 2016.
Just nine at the time, Mane joined Rochdale’s youth academy before going on to join Wolves earlier this year.
The 17-year-old played for Portugal’s U17s last season but then made his England debut last month – facing Portugal, Switzerland and France in a Three Lions shirt.
Mane is still eligible to play for both nations due to the U18s being a non-UEFA age group.
The point of no return with regards to his international future comes when he wins a senior competitive cap, at which point he will be committed to one nation for the rest of his career.
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But while the youngster doesn’t need to make a permanent decision, he will need to decide if he’s representing England or Portugal this week.
Wolves and England have confirmed that he will feature for the Young Lions in Marbella next week, however that is yet to be clarified – he could yet decide to pull on a Portugal shirt instead.
Mane has been in excellent form in the 2024/25 U18 Premier League, scoring two goals and offering two assists in three appearances for Wolves so far.
