England manager Roy Hodgson has admitted
that he is monitoring Manchester United
starlet Adnan Januzaj with a possible view to
calling him up for the national side.
The 18-year-old Belgium-born winger shot to
stardom on Saturday when he crowned his full
Premier League debut with a brace of goals as
United came from behind to beat Sunderland
2-1 at the Stadium of Light.
Hodgson, appearing as a pundit on BBC
highlights programme Match of the Day, was
asked if Januzaj might one day play for
England.
"Yeah, down the line, if he becomes
naturalised or if he becomes a homegrown
product," he replied.
"He's been with United for a long period of
time and of course that discussion will have to
be seriously debated before we start
naturalising players.
"There's no doubt that he's a real talent and
we have our eyes on him, but a lot will have to
be discussed."
On Saturday, United manager David Moyes
revealed that the Football Association had
contacted the club to enquire about Januzaj's
eligibility.
Asked if the FA had been in touch concerning
the youngster, Moyes said: "Yes, they have."
Januzaj is of Kosovan descent but is also
eligible to play for countries including
Belgium, Albania and Turkey.
"I think there is some way that he could
qualify for England, yes," Moyes added.
"I think he's got a choice of countries to play
for. He's got probably three or four different
countries he could choose to play for.
"Obviously, he has been called up by Belgium
several times and chosen not to at the
moment, and he's wanted by, I think, Albania,
Croatia and a few others as well.
"He can play for several countries – and
England as well. I don't know how that is. I
think it's something to do with his residency.
That's something to do with it."
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