Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been approached by DR Congo and could decide to switch his international allegiance from England.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Wan-Bissaka receives Congo approachWanted for AFCON 2024 tournamentCould opt to switch international allegianceWHAT HAPPENED?
DR Congo want Wan-Bissaka to be part of their squad for the 2024 AFCON tournament, according to The Athletic. Wan-Bissaka is said to be "considering" the opportunity of playing for the Leopards and switching his international allegiance from England. The Manchester United defender has played for England at Under-20 and Under-21 level but has never made a senior appearance for the Three Lions. The closest he came was back in 2019 when he was called up by Gareth Southgate. However, he subsequently pulled out of the squad for the two Euro 2020 qualifiers due to injury, meaning he is still uncapped and eligible to play for DR Congo.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It remains to be seen whether Wan-Bissaka will accept the offer from Congo, but if he does the decision may not go down well with Manchester United. The AFCON 2024 tournament kicks off in January in Ivory Coast and runs until February 11th. If Wan-Bissaka were to be involved then United could potentially lose the defender for over a month due to his international commitments. The Red Devils are also expected to be without first choice goalkeeper Andre Onana during that time as the stopper is expected to play for Cameroon at the tournament.
DID YOU KNOW?
Wan-Bissaka and Onana are not the only Manchester United players who could be jetting off to AFCON 2024. Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia), and on-loan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat (Morocco) may also feature if called up by their national teams.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR WAN-BISSAKA?
Wan-Bissaka's season has been disrupted by injury but he is now fit and available and will be hoping to cement his place in Erik ten Hag's starting XI. The defender is into the final season of his contract at Old Trafford and is facing an uncertain future. The club do have the option to activate a 12-month extension clause in his existing deal and may opt to do that rather than handing him a new long-term deal at the club.