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Problem of plenty for Januzaj

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IANS London

Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj has the problem of plenty - he is faced with the tricky situation of choosing a nation to represent.

Januzaj can choose to play for as many as five countries, and all of them would be more than happy to have him in their line-up.

What are Januzaj's choices?

The easiest of them all is to play for Kosovo, the country of his father Abedin's birth, but it is not recognised by FIFA.

Then comes his own birth place Belgium, having been born in Brussels where he lived till he moved to Manchester two years ago.

 

He could also play for Albania as his parents are ethnically Albanian.

Turkey is another option, thanks to his grandparents who are Turkish.

Finally, he could turn out for England and that is possible if he qualifies as a British citizen by living in the country for five years.

Right now, England looks a good option for him and the country's football manager Roy Hodgson has said the door is open for the 18-year-old.

"Yeah, down the line if he becomes naturalised or if he becomes a homegrown product," Hodgson was quoted as saying in the English media.

"He's been with United for a long period of time and of course that discussion will have to be seriously debated before we start naturalising players," Hodgson said.

"There's no doubt that he's a real talent and we have our eyes on him, but a lot will have to be discussed."

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First Published: Oct 19 2013 | 4:48 PM IST

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