Premier League star sparks strange international row after being called up by England and Portugal
A Premier League talent finds himself embroiled in a tug-of-war between two countries after twice being called up for international duty.
Mateus Mané plays for Wolverhampton Wanderers and it is shaping up to be a very bright future for the club and the country.
But he will have to make a big decision after both. England and Portugal named him in his under-18 teams.
Young Lions boss Liam Bramley wants Mane to play for the Young Lions in an upcoming tournament in Marbella.
Playing for England would mean facing Sweden next Friday, before facing either Ukraine or the Netherlands in the final or play-off for third place in the four-team tournament.
But Portugal's under-18 coach also wants Mane to be available for the friendly against Türkiye on Thursday night.
The talented young striker is eligible for both nations having been born in Barreiro, outside Lisbon, in September 2007.
He played for FC Barreirense's academy, but moved to England in 2016.
Just nine years old at the time, Mane joined Rochdale's youth academy before joining Wolves earlier this year.
The 17-year-old played for Portugal's under-17 team last season but then made his debut for England last month, facing Portugal, Switzerland and France in the Three Lions shirt.
Mane is still eligible to play for both nations due to the U18 category not falling under UEFA.
The point of no return regarding his international future comes when he wins a senior competitive title, at which point he will be committed to one nation for the rest of his career.
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But while the youngster does not need to make a permanent decision, he will have to decide whether he will represent England or Portugal this week.
Wolves and England have confirmed that he will play for the Young Lions in Marbella next week, however that is yet to be clarified – he could still decide to don a Portugal shirt.
Mané has been in excellent form in the 2024/25 U18 season first divisionscoring two goals and providing two assists in three appearances for Wolves so far.
