The English FA are moving to encourageacademy players of African originto pledge their allegiance to the England national team, in order toprevent losing youngtalent with dual nationalityto African nations, according to the Daily Mail.
In recent years some players who qualify to play for England have chosen not to do, so as they feel their opportunities may be sparse or they simply feel a greater connection to the country of their (or their family's)origin.
Some of the players singled out as examples are Arsenal's Alex Iwobi andChelsea's Victor Moses [above] who chose to represent Nigeria despite having the option to represent the Three Lions, as well asCrystal Palace's Wilfried Zaha [below]who decided to represent the Ivory Coast evenafter making two seniorappearances for England.
Zaha was allowed to switch nations under FIFA rules, as his caps came in non-competitive outings.
To combat this perceived loss of available talent,the FA are apparently looking to provide a "clear pathway" for prospects as young as 13 to represent England at international level.
One player the FA are fearful of losing to this is young Everton forward Ademola Lookman who burst on the scene for Everton, and capped his debut with a goalagainst Manchester City, after moving from Charlton in thisJanuary.
Lookman was born in Wandsworth, London and has represented England at youth level but also qualifies to play for Nigeria, if he wishes.
It is not just African youngsters on the FA's radar. The governing bodyare reportedly also targeting other dual nationality stars from around the world, after failing to convinceTahiti Chong [Manchester United] and Juan Castillo[Chelsea] who have both pledged their international future to the Netherlands.