Manchester United duo Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Axel Tuanzebe could switch their international allegiances from England after holding positive talks with DR Congo.
Neither player has been capped by the Three Lions at senior level and both are now considering a move to the African nation. According to Leopard Football Leader, Congo head coach Sebastien Desabre spoke at length with Wan-Bissaka, while talks have been ongoing for Tuanzebe to move nations.
Wan-Bissaka, who joined United from Crystal Palace for £50million in 2019, earned his first senior call-up during his first season at Old Trafford. However, the right-back was forced to withdraw from Gareth Southgate's squad through a back injury and hasn't been selected since.
Southgate has decided to pick the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker ahead of him instead. Wan-Bissaka has featured three times for the England Under 21s side, but, as he hasn't played a competitive fixture for the senior team, he can switch to Congo if he wanted to.
It is understood Wan-Bissaka has not ruled out that possibility and could accept the offer from Desabre should Congo qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast. The 25-year-old, who is of Congolese descent, has been much-improved under Erik ten Hag this season, having made 22 appearances in all competitions so far.
Meanwhile, Tuanzebe is currently on loan at Championship side Stoke. The centre-back joined the Potters in January on loan for the rest of the season after recovering from a back injury. He hasn't played a minute under Erik ten Hag and is behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez in the pecking order.
But at an international level, Tuanzebe may switch allegiances in order to have a better chance of gaining regular game time. As he was born in the Congolese city of Bunia, Tuanzebe is eligible to play for the nation and it is thought he is open to the idea of switching from England.
Like Wan-Bissaka, Tuanzebe has played for England Under 21s and also featured for the U19s and U20s. Speaking about Tuanzebe's return to training earlier this year, Ten Hag admitted that it will be a long time before the defender is back to his best.
Ten Hag said: "Definitely, Axel, it was a long time that he was not available for matches or for training. Individual rehab was really hard for him. Then, you can understand, it takes time; back in training as well, and in team training, then you have to build up. So that will take weeks."
Congo are aiming to qualify for AFCON next year and possess some current English-based players. Brentford star Yoane Wissa and Luton midfielder Pelly Ruddock Mpanzu are part of their squad, while former Villarreal hotspot Cedric Bakambu is amongst their forward line.
