Man Utd: Uncapped England hopeful ‘approached to represent DR Congo at AFCON’, says Ornstein
Manchester United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been ‘approached to represent’ DR Congo at the Africa Cup of Nations, says David Ornstein.
Wan-Bissaka is eligible for England and DR Congo and has played five times at youth level for the former and once for the latter’s Under-20s.
Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, Gareth Southgate has an incredible amount of right-backs to choose from, meaning the player is still waiting to make his senior international debut.
It is believed that the Man United star’s preference is to represent England, though the option to play for DR Congo has always been an interesting one.
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And according to The Athletic correspondent Ornstein, the opportunity to play at AFCON with the African nation is there.
Ornstein reports that Wan-Bissaka is yet to make a decision and is ‘considering the opportunity’.
If he does accept the offer, the 25-year-old will switch international allegiance and will be unavailable for the Red Devils for a spell in early January.
The mid-season tournament in Ivory Coast runs between January 13 and February 11, though his absence would obviously rely on how DR Congo fare.
Wan-Bissaka – whose Red Devils contract expires at the end of the season – did receive a call-up from Southgate in September 2019 but was forced to pull out due to a back injury.
Other potential United absentees are Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat and Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana.
After establishing himself as a top right-back during his time at Crystal Palace, Wan-Bissaka appeared to be nailed on to become an England regular.
However, his form at Old Trafford has been very inconsistent.
Wan-Bissaka’s performances have undoubtedly improved since Erik ten Hag joined the club last year, but not enough to merit an England cap.
He cost United £50million in 2019 and has made 168 appearances for the Premier League giants.
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