With the England national soccer team entering into yet another golden generation, it has turned out to be a headache for the England manager, Gareth Southgate. With the increasing number of talented players to pick from, Southgate is not able to help every player represent their nation. It has turned out that Aaron Wan-Bissaka is also a player suffering from that player pool.
Being the starting right-back for one of the biggest clubs in the world, Manchester United, Aaron Wan-Bissaka hasn’t been able to seal the spot for his national team, England. With this unavailability to the national team is kind of hampering the English right-back’s career.
Not being selected for the England national team, Wan-Bissaka is not able to take part in several competitions with which he can enlighten the honors earned throughout his career. Being one of the best right-backs in the world and not being able to take part in major national competitions can be a bit sad for any player who has come this far in their career.
Which nation can Aaron Wan-Bissaka represent?
Aged 25, and yet to represent England at the senior level, Aaron Wan-Bissaka is eligible to play for another nation as well. Coming from Congolese descent, Wan-Bissaka is also eligible to play for DR Congo national team as well. Having represented DR Congo at the U20 level, he can declare himself to play for his descent nation.
With the African Cup of Nations, just around the corner in January 2024, DR Congo is pushing Wan-Bissaka to quickly change his national team so that he can be introduced to his teammates as soon as possible. DR Congo held interest in Wan-Bissaka back in 2019 as well.
Aaron Wan Bissaka has already played for DR Congo back in 2015 for their under-17s in a friendly in St. George’s Park against England.
Here he is wearing their number 9. https://t.co/ng1qI6OZKP pic.twitter.com/AlvJPsnjif
— Odds On FPL (@OddsOnFPL) November 23, 2023
Despite interest from DR Congo, Wan-Bissaka said in May 2019 that he intended to pursue an international career with England, stating, “The aim is England. I am happy playing with England and representing England, so that is what I am going to continue doing”.
He continued with his statement, “My aim is just to keep playing and improving. By improving hopefully, that does not go unnoticed and that will get me the chance, the same as it did with the team (Crystal Palace) now.”
Was Wan-Bissaka ever put into consideration for selection?
In August 2019, Wan-Bissaka received his first-ever call-up for the English national team to represent them at the UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifiers against Kosovo and Bulgaria but having suffered with back injury back then he was forced to back out from that selection and tried to recover as soon as possible.
With that injury coming at the wrong time Wan-Bissaka fell through the pecking order quickly as in 2019 England got struck with a gold mine of right-backs, with the likes of Trent Alexander Arnold, Kieren Trippier, Reece James, and Kyle Walker coming to grasp this opportunity.
Since then, these players have held their spots and made it very difficult for Wan-Bissaka to get his place back into the first team. As for the result of his faltering performances, he has several times expressed his desire to represent his ancestral nation DR Congo, and media speculation has also supported the claim of his potential nationality switch.
What would this nation switch mean to his club, Manchester United
If Aaron Wan-Bissaka decides to switch his national alliances, it could prove to be quite hectic for Manchester United as well. Having had a poor start to their season, and a drastic amount of injuries within the squad as well. If they lose him yet again after a festive season, that might hamper their season as well.
🚨 EXCL: Aaron Wan-Bissaka receives approach to represent DR Congo at Africa Cup of Nations. 25yo yet to decide but considering chance. If he accepts Man Utd would lose right-back for spell in early 2024 (tournament Jan 13 – Feb 11) @TheAthleticFC #MUFC ⬇️ https://t.co/jD4OpzanCz
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) November 23, 2023
With the AFCON happening from January 13th – February 11th, Manchester United would have to lose their starting right-back for a whole month wherein he might miss about 5-6 matches across all competitions. Which could turn out to be season-defining for them as well.
So it would be interesting to see, what will be the final decision taken by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, will he be favoring his team at the club level or looking to enhance his career at the international level as well?