Wednesday, September 04, 2013

England Want Tiago Ilori To Switch Allegiance

Roy Hodgson will attempt to convince Liverpool’s new signing Tiago Ilori to snub Portugal and adopt English nationality.

No sooner had Ilori completed his £7 million switch to Anfield from Sporting Lisbon, it emerged that the Football Association has opened the door for the 20-year-old defender to represent England.

Ilori was born in London before returning to the birthplace of his Portuguese mother, and although he has represented Portugal at youth level, he has not won a senior cap and would be eligible to make the switch.

Whether Ilori has any interest in playing for England is yet to be established but, given the worrying shortage in home-grown players emerging through the academies into the top Premier League teams, Hodgson and the FA are taking a more proactive stance in tracing players with English roots.

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