Kobbie Mainoo gets stunning offer! Man Utd star asked to snub England as Ghana FA want him to switch international allegiance

Ghana are paying close attention to Mainoo's rise and Randy Abbey, a member of the executive council of the country's FA, has namedropped the 18-year-old as a player they are keen to persuade to represent them instead of England. It is part of Ghana's wider policy to ensure they are considering all 'eligible talents' for national team selection - including any, like Mainoo, who are born abroad.

Abbey told The Times: "The Ghana Football Association is interested in monitoring, attracting, and persuading all eligible talents for its various national teams. Kobbie is definitely one of these incredible talents, and the association would love to work with him and many like him at home and abroad."

Mainoo was born in Stockport, Greater Manchester and has already represented England at every age group from Under-17 through to Under-19 in recent years. But his parents both hail from Ghana, making him eligible to represent the west African nation, too. As a result, the player has the opportunity to switch international allegiance to Ghana, should he wish.

Under FIFA rules, a player can switch international allegiance between countries for which they are eligible, provided they have played no more than three senior competitive games for a particular national team before the age of 21. There is no limit at any age on playing friendlies. It means Mainoo could make his senior debut for England - even in a competitive setting - and still be eligible to choose Ghana at a later date, or vice versa, as long as he still meets the criteria.

Mainoo has started Manchester United's last eight games in all competitions, culminating in his stunning stoppage time winner against Wolves on Thursday night. He will now be keen to keep that run going and spoke after the final whistle at Molineux about "just trying to get a good run of games in and get real momentum going" for both himself and the team.

Fans will expect to see his name in Erik ten Hag's lineup once more when West Ham visit Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday.