Manchester United's Sweden U21 international winger is eligible to play for England but the FA has no plans to bring him into Gareth Southgate's set-up, SSN understands; Elanga, who could also play for Cameroon, has scored in his last two appearances for Old Trafford side
Saturday 26 February 2022 00:34, UK
The FA has no plans to bring Manchester United's rising star Anthony Elanga into the England fold, Sky Sports News understands.
Winger Elanga, 19, has been a bright spark in United's season and has scored in each of his last two games - a 4-2 Premier League victory at Leeds on Sunday followed by the 1-1 Champions League draw with Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.
The Sweden U21 international, who was born in Malmo, is eligible to play for England on the basis of residency having moved to Manchester as a 12-year-old.
That had led to calls for the FA to include him in England's plans, possibly even as early as next month's international break when Gareth Southgate's side play friendlies against Switzerland and Ivory Coast.
However, there is little to suggest that Elanga - who is also eligible to play for Cameroon - has any interest in playing for any other country than Sweden, something the FA is aware of.
England manager Southgate has always spoken out against any idea to give young players England caps, only as a way of ensuring their future allegiance to the country.
It is thought FA officials regard Elanga as a Swedish senior international of the future, and they have no desire to "poach" him or try to persuade him to switch nationality.
If the FA were to call up Elanga for next month's internationals, logistics would have had to be in place long before now and Sky Sports News understands no such plans have been made.
He would need a British passport in order to be eligible to play in any FIFA or UEFA competitions - such as this summer's Nations League - and there is no fast-track option with the UK Passport agencies.
Elanga was given his Manchester United debut at the end of the 2020-21 season by then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and scored his first Premier League goal in only his second senior appearance, against Wolves.
The teenager has become a regular in Ralf Rangnick's first-team plans of late, appearing in 13 of the last 16 matches, principally as an impact substitute.
