West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini believes Declan Rice is good enough to earn an England call-up but faces a tough choice in deciding whether to turn his back on Ireland.
The London-born defender has earned three senior caps for the Republic of Ireland, which he has represented since underage level based on his Irish grandparents.
However, the 19-year-old has yet to play in a competitive game for Ireland, which would tie him irrevocably to the green jersey, and asked manager Martin O'Neill to omit him from the squad for the upcoming UEFA League of Nations games against Wales and Denmark as he considers an approach to declare for England.
"Declan has a big problem," his club boss Pellegrini told The Guardian. "But I think that his heart must decide if he feels more Irish or more English.
"Maybe for him it can be more easy to play for Ireland but if you trust in yourself and you feel that you are an English player …
"It is a personal decision. It is very difficult to give advice but I am always speaking with him because he is young and he has a big future. I speak with him about a lot of different issues.
"He is a player that is completing his development in a physical way. He is a strong player, a good technical player.
"With England he will have big competition but I think he is able to take that challenge – that’s without me giving him a decision. He must take the decision himself."
"It's a terrible mistake if he chooses England and then doesn't play"
Former England and West Ham manager Sam Allardyce suggested the youngster would be better off with Ireland as his chances of regular selection would be much greater.
Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish declared for England in 2015, despite having played for the Republic of Ireland at U17, U18 and U21 levels, but has yet to win a senior cap.
"Is it better playing for England and it ends up being less than ten matches, or is it better playing for Ireland and playing 60 matches at international level?" Allardyce asked on Talksport.
"That's the choice he (Rice) has to make and it’s a very difficult choice at 19, because he still doesn’t really know how good he’s going to be.
"It's a terrible mistake if he chooses England and then doesn't play."
