Hatters boss Still come down on Manchester United starlet Januzaj’s side

Hatters boss John Still waded into the argument over which players should be allowed to play for England at Thursday’s press conference, writes Mark Wood.
Kidderminster Harriers v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 36.Kidderminster Harriers v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 36.
Kidderminster Harriers v Luton Town. Photos by Liam Smith. wk 36.

The debate has been raging all week over whether Manchester United starlet Adnan Januzaj should be allowed to play for England if he so chooses.

Still said: “Ain’t it hard. The obvious is the obvious. If you’re born here or your parents are born here. Your parents can be English, you can be a serviceman can’t you and be born abroad.

“So you should have the opportunity to play for the country of your birth, or your family’s birth, and I think that’s absolutely right.”

England midfielder and former Luton Town youth product, Jack Wilshere, this week declared England should be for Englishmen.

That further stirred the debate over what should be considered English, but Still seemed to come down in favour of letting overseas youngsters who have grown up in this country play for the national team.

He said: “I think if you come here at a young age, I think there should be a timescale to that. If you’re coming in here as what I call a youth, and you play here for five years.

“So your parents come here and you’re here for five years, six years, I can’t put the date on it, even 10 years, you should have an opportunity.

“Because if you’re living in a country you become part of that country. It’s a difficult one, but I do feel as a young one...

“If you’re coming here at 25 then no, I don’t think that at all. But I think if you come here as a youth, U18, when you are still classed as a youth, I think there should be a timescale.

“And that timescale, could be 10 years, that’s up to everyone to decide. Am I going to wait ‘til I’m 28...

“If you come here at 14 and this becomes your home and there’s a timescale, whatever the timescale may be, at 24 you’re still a young man and 10 years this is probably your country. I think you should have the opportunity.”

Still pointed to the fact that there are many players who have played for the likes of England, Scotland and Wales without actually growing up in the country they represented.

He continued: “if you are English and go to school in Wales you can still play for the Welsh schoolboys but play for England or vice versa.

“You can play as a schoolboy for one country. It’s with us anyway. If you go to school in a country doesn’t mean you’re born in that country.

“You could be on the border, if where you live for argument’s sake is between England and Wales, or England and Scotland, you might live in England but go to school in Scotland.

“It’s possible. You can live for example in Berwick and your house technically is in England but your school is in Scotland.

“So I just feel because of how things are now, multi-national game, people move all over Europe, if you come here at 10, 12 and you’re 25 I think you’re almost English.

“I’m not the person to put a timescale on it, but I think if you come as a youth, not as an adult, but if you come as a youth U18, and you’re here for an amount of years that people deem is right, five, six, seven, whatever, I think that you do.”

Januzaj netted twice on his full Premier League debut for United in their 2-1 victory at Sunderland, which helped to spark the debate as he could eventually represent the Three Lions on a residency basis.

The 18-year-old could also potentially play for Belgium, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia or Turkey, but will not decide on his international future until he begins playing regular first-team football.

And Still believes that foreign nationals should declare where their allegiance lies, rather than waiting to decide on what offers come.

He added: “What I don’t think you should be allowed to do, I actually think there should be a timescale where you have to decide what you want to do.

“It may be that when you’ve been here five years you have to decide as a player. You’re a foreign national playing here, and you come here as a youth you should maybe have to declare what you want to do.

“I’m Spanish I want to play for Spain. I consider myself British and I wanted to play for England, or Wales or Scotland, that’s what I want to do.

“I think maybe you should declare it, not wait and see who comes for you. It sounds a bit complicated but it’s not really.”