Ashworth: We risk losing future stars

DECLAN RICE could be given his England debut at Wembley on Friday after opting to switch allegiances.

The West Ham midfielder is waiting for the nod with Jordan Henderson battling to overcome an ankle injury.

And that could herald the start of a brave new world for England as they attempt to leave no stone unturned when it comes to dual-nationality players.

Rice was eligible for Republic of Ireland and played for them at youth level and in three senior friendlies before accepting England’s call.

Boss Gareth Southgate chose not to call-up Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka even though he is eligible for DR Congo. Keeper Angus

Gunn has opted to play for England despite being eligible for Scotland and Jack Grealish chose to play for England rather than Ireland.

And England have been told dual nationalities will be even more of an issue with the next generation as it is claimed that 55 of the 75 Under-15s players on the FA radar can play for other countries.

It means that England will have to be more pro-active in attracting players as ex-FA technical director Dan Ashworth insists England should be more open-minded and make sure they “do not restrict themselves as a recruiter”.

Ashworth, now at Brighton, said: “It generates the argument, ‘If they are not born in England, they can’t play for England’.

“But you look at other sports and other countries and you want to recruit from the biggest pool you possibly can.

“You need as big a pool as possible of people who are eligible through the rules and regulations – your ‘grandparenting rule’.

“Every other nation is using those rules to expand their pools of players. Why isn’t England?

“If the player is eligible and he wants to play for England, why not?

“Diversity of the population in England means we have 75 Under-15s on our radar and 55 of them have dual or more nationality and are eligible for more than one country.

“That could be Scotland, Ireland or Wales but the diversity of our country is thankfully changing.

“That gives us a better pool of players but it also brings a warning – don’t assume they are locked into your particular nation.

“We cannot be arrogant enough to assume that if you are living in England, you automatically want to play for England over any other country.”