UEFA Nations League

TOM LOCKYER faces a major race against time to be fit for Wales at Euro 2020 after an ankle operation.The Luton centre-back, 26, has been ruled out for the rest of the Championship season following the long-standing ankle ligament problem.
Tom Lockyer may not be fit for Wales at this summer’s Euros after undergoing an ankle operationCredit: Getty
Lockyer helped Wales reach Euro 2020 by starting the last four qualification games including the crucial 2-0 triumph over HungaryCredit: Getty
Lockyer was named in Wales’ squad to face Belgium, Mexico and the Czech Republic last month. But the injury forced the 13-cap defender to pull out during the international break.
Although he was on the bench for Luton at Preston on March 20, he has been battling with the injury since mid-February and has now gone under the knife to solve the issue.
Hatters boss Nathan Jones said: “Tom will miss the rest of the season. Tom’s had to have an operation.
“It’s a real strange one, but he’s had to go in which is a bit frustrating for me, because he’s going to be out for two months, which only affects a month of the season but he’s had two months out prior to that.”
Wales are scheduled to open their Euro 2020 campaign against Switzerland in the Azerbaijan capital of Baku on June 12.
Lockyer started the final four Euro 2020 qualification games under Ryan Giggs as Wales booked their place at this summer’s finals.
He was first-choice again last September for the first internationals in ten months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
But Lockyer missed the October triple-header with an ankle injury and, while he returned to the Wales fold in November, he only made one appearance against the USA in a friendly.
Luton’s Lockyer competes for the ball in the Nations League win over Finland last SeptemberCredit: Getty
Lockyer will be sweating on his place to make the Wales squad after injuryCredit: Getty

Caretaker boss Robert Page, who is still standing in for the absent Giggs following his arrest on suspicion of assaulting his on-off girlfriend, was in charge then.
And Page opted for the partnership of Joe Rodon and Chris Mepham against Ireland three days later.
Then when Wales switched to a back three for the final of three matches in November against Finland, Page drafted in left-footed James Lawrence to provide balance.
Lockyer hoped to stake his claim for the Euros in March but his latest withdrawal due to injury and the resulting operation leaves him in a major race to be selected for the summer.
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INTERNATIONAL football has evolved its own competitive marketplace for talented stars in recent years.
The modern world means players often have a number of different countries that they are eligible for.

Jack Grealish and Declan Rice could have been lining up together for Republic of IrelandCredit: Reuters

Fifa’s rules allow footballers to switch allegiance up until the moment they appear in a competitive match, leading to several examples of double debuts and awkward encounters.
England are no stranger to this facet of the game, with stars both leaving and joining the national setup in this way.
The latest hot talent considered up for grabs is Yunus Musah, the teenager who has played for the Three Lions’ youth teams but is also eligible for Ghana, Italy and the United States.
His recent appearances for the US in friendly action mean he can still decide to play for Gareth Southgate – something the manager is very keen on.

That would mean following in the footsteps of Declan Rice, who played three times for Republic of Ireland before finally accepting England’s call.
Here, SunSport details the stories of five top stars who chose the Three Lions over other countries desperate for their services.

England still hope to persuade USMNT starlet Yunus Musah to switch allegianceCredit: PA:Press Association
Jack Grealish – Republic of Ireland
Few international sagas have drawn as much attention as Jack Grealish’s, a player who began his career in the Ireland youth teams.
The Aston Villa winger’s heritage led to him playing gaelic football as a lad, even appearing at Croke Park, before he signed up for the Boys in Green.

Several youth appearances pushed Grealish towards the Irish senior side but he took a break from international football in 2014.
Fellow Ireland youth star Aiden O’Brien told SunSport earlier this year that the winger needed time to make his mind up, stating: “When you get approached at that age you don’t really know what to do. You lean on those closest to you, and he spoke with his family a lot.”

Grealish recently played for England against the Boys in GreenCredit: AP:Associated Press
John Barnes – Jamaica
Watford and Liverpool legend Barnes did not arrive in England until his teenage years and was eligible to play for Jamaica.
Yet he chose England to play in the biggest tournaments – with Fifa rules at the time allowing the switch despite his lack of a British passport.
He would later recall: “I wanna play in the World Cup, but I’m 18, a little black boy from Jamaica. So I can play for England or I can play for Jamaica.
“But also, as it turned out, I could play for England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales. I never signed anything, but I could play for any of the British teams. So as stupid as it seems, the only reason I played for England was because they were the first to ask.”

John Barnes would play for England at two World CupsCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Declan Rice – Republic of Ireland
Like Grealish, Kingston-born Rice was another to choose England having started out in the Irish fold.
But the midfielder even went as far as playing three games for the senior team before pausing his international career, with Ireland manager Martin O’Neill saying he was ‘giving him a little bit of time’.
England were interested in the West Ham star but new Ireland boss Mick McCarthy pledged to make Rice the centre of his team.
Alas, he chose the Three Lions – leading to an uncovered IRA-themed social media post making for a controversial switch.

Declan Rice was allowed to switch from the Republic having only appeared in friendliesCredit: Sportsfile – Subscription
Owen Hargreaves – Canada/Wales
In the 2000s, a foreign-born player who starred for Bayern Munich being eligible for England was quite unusual.
Yet the Three Lions saw Hargreaves’ potential and called him up to the Under-21s in 2000.
Before that, the midfielder had already appeared at youth level for Wales, with his parents making him eligible for both.
The decision to snub Canada led to Hargreaves becoming quite unpopular in the land of his birth.

Owen Hargreaves won 42 caps and England’s 2006 Player of the Year honourCredit: PA:Press Association
Patrick Bamford – Republic of Ireland
Robbie Keane famously said of Leeds striker Bamford: “He should be chasing us. He should want to come here. If he doesn’t want to, no problem.
“We shouldn’t be chasing people, by the way. That’s what f***ing winds me up. We shouldn’t be chasing people.”
The Tottenham legend was one of many exasperated when last year Bamford contemplated switching back to Ireland, who he had played for at U18 level before committing to England.
Bamford, 27, has represented England at U18, U19 and U21 levels but had not had a full cap.
He recently told The Athletic: “At the start of the season I wouldn’t have said anything about England, or even thought about it, but the fact that I’ve started quite well, I need to just keep pushing and make sure that my name is in the frame for the summer.”

Patrick Bamford is once again hoping for an England call-upCredit: AFP or licensors

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