England manager Roy Hodgson confirmed he was interested in having Januzaj play for him. PHOTO: AFP
The Arsenal star’s comments came as it emerged the national governing Football Association had looked into the eligibility of talented Manchester United forward Adnan Januzaj to play for England.
Belgium-born winger Januzaj can play for the country of his birth, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia and Turkey and the 18-year-old could represent England in 2018 on residency grounds if he remains in the country for the next five years.
However, Wilshere said: “The only people who should play for England are English people. If you live in England for five years it doesn’t make you English.
“If I went to Spain and lived there for five years I am not going to play for Spain,” he added ahead of England’s key World Cup qualifier against Montenegro at Wembley tomorrow.
Januzaj’s youth means he is a far more enticing option than Spanish-born Mikel Arteta and native Italian goalkeeper Carlo Cudicini, both of whom have been linked with playing for England following lengthy stints in the Premier League.
But Wilshere said having foreign-born players in the team risked diluting the essential character of the side.
“We have to remember what we are. We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat.
“We have great characters. You think of Spain and you think technical but you think of England and you think they are brave and they tackle hard. We have to remember that.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 10th, 2013.
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He is a real MAN
"We have to remember what we are. We are English. We tackle hard, are tough on the pitch and are hard to beat."
I agree with you except for the last part. I think England are easy to beat especially in top competitions.