Aaron Wan-Bissaka has accepted his first senior call-up for DR Congo, ending years of speculation over his international future.
The West Ham defender, 27, had long been tipped for an England debut after breaking through at Crystal Palace and sealing a £50million move to Manchester United in 2019.
At the time he was hailed as one of the Premier League’s finest one-on-one defenders.
But Gareth Southgate consistently overlooked Wan-Bissaka, with Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier and Reece James all ahead of him in the pecking order.
The former England boss once admitted: ‘Aaron is a very good defender, one against one he’s probably as good as I have seen, but I have to look at the balance of the team and currently there are players ahead of him.’
Born in Croydon to Congolese parents, Wan-Bissaka represented both nations at youth level, featuring once for DR Congo’s Under 20s before switching allegiance to England, where he won caps at U20 and U21 level. He previously declared his ‘aim was England’, but his stance has shifted six years on.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has accepted his first senior call-up for DR Congo, ending years of speculation over his international future
The 27-year-old has linked up with Sebastien Desabre’s squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against South Sudan and Senegal
The Hammers star was unfortunate to come through at a time when England were blessed with four top quality right backs. Pictured: (L-R) Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker
West Ham confirmed his decision on Wednesday, announcing the right-back had linked up with Sebastien Desabre’s squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against South Sudan and Senegal.
Should he make his debut, Wan-Bissaka will join a host of English-born players to represent other nations, including Scott McTominay with Scotland, Matty Cash with Poland, Antonee Robinson with the United States and Matt O’Riley with Denmark.
DR Congo currently top their World Cup qualifying group and are chasing a first finals appearance since 1974, when they competed as Zaire.
Wan-Bissaka joined the Hammers from United for £15m last summer and has made 38 appearances under Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter. He was an unused substitute in Sunday’s 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest after starting their opening two league defeats of the season.
