Exclusive: Mason Greenwood agrees to ditch England in favour of Jamaica in allegiance switch

James Richardson 16 Sep 2024 3:35 PM

Mason Greenwood is in line to return to the international stage, though not with England

Former Manchester United star Mason Greenwood has agreed to switch his international allegiance to Jamaica from England, TEAMtalk understands.

England interim boss Lee Carsley revealed before this month’s Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland that he ‘cannot consider’ Greenwood for selection for England, despite his prolific recent form for Marseille.

Greenwood left Manchester United for Marseille during this summer’s transfer window and the forward has enjoyed a flying start to life in France, winning the club’s Player of the Month for August after scoring five goals in four games.

Greenwood returned to competitive football last season after spending 18 months out of the game having been charged with attempted rape, assault, and coercive behaviour in January 2022 after a series of harrowing images and voice recordings were shared online.

The charges were dropped in February 2023 by the Crown Prosecution Service following the withdrawal of key witnesses. Greenwood has denied any wrongdoing.

Greenwood made his only senior England appearance as a substitute in a Nations League game against Iceland in 2020, however, FIFA regulations allow players to switch allegiance if they have played fewer than four competitive matches before the age of 21.

With his path to an England recall seemingly blocked, Greenwood is set to continue his international career elsewhere and with Jamaica for whom he qualifies through his father.

New Reggae Boyz boss Steve McClaren is keen on offering Greenwood and other foreign-born stars an international lifeline and talks with Greenwood are understood to have progressed positively.

McClaren is keen to recruit a number of English-born players to switch to Jamaica as he looks to build a squad that can qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

How has Mason Greenwood done for England?

Greenwood has only received one full England cap playing just 12 minutes of a Nations League match away to Iceland.

He played 17 England Youth International across four age groups and scored three goals across those matches.

His off-field issues have ensured that he was unlikely to receive another England call. However, former England boss Gareth Southgate appeared to open the door for his return earlier in 2024.

“I think allowing him to get his career going again abroad appears to have been a good move but I have to say I have not tracked it closely,” said Southgate.

“I think at this moment in time it would be a big distraction for the team and let’s see where that leads next season.

“I would need to know more details about the whole thing before it was an option.”

Jamaican connection to the English game

Jamaica recently appointed Steve McClaren as their national team manager and the vast majority of most Jamaican squads at senior level are made up of players based in the Premier League or Championship.

McClaren is familiar with the striker from his time as Man Utd’s assistant manager to Erik ten Hag.

The former England boss is understood to have played a key role in convincing Greenwood to switch allegiances.

Jamaica are unbeaten in the Concacaf Nations League in two matches under McClaren.

The Reggae Boyz are six-time Caribbean Cup winners and have reached the World Cup once, taking part in France 1998.

Five players who’ve switched to or from England

We’ve taken a look at five players who have either switched their international allegiance to England or decided to abandon the Three Lions.

Jamal Musiala

Born in Germany to a Nigerian-British father and Polish-German mother, Musiala moved to England at the age of seven and played for Southampton and Chelsea at academy level.

The midfielder represented England at Under-15, Under-16, Under-17 and Under-21 level, playing alongside the likes of Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill.

But he joined Bayern Munich in the summer of 2019 and later decided to switch his allegiance to the German national team.

“It was a hard decision, I thought over it for a long time about what I was going to do, but at the end of the day, it was just what was best for me and where I would feel most comfortable,” Musiala said.

The 21-year-old has since made 36 senior appearances for Germany and won their Player of the Year award in 2022.

Jack Grealish

Despite being born in Birmingham, Grealish represented the Republic of Ireland at various youth levels and won their Under-21 Player of the Year award in 2015.

But the attacking midfielder rejected a call-up to their senior squad and chose to make the switch to the England set-up in September 2015.

He has 38 England caps and has also scored three goals at international level, including a strike in a 2-0 win against the Republic of Ireland in September 2024.

Declan Rice

Rice followed in Grealish’s footsteps by initially opting to represent the Republic of Ireland before switching his international allegiance to England in January 2019.

The midfielder has since made 60 appearances for the Three Lions and has been a key player at two European Championships and the 2022 World Cup.

Alongside Grealish, he also scored in England’s 2-0 win against the Republic of Ireland.

Wilfried Zaha

Zaha was born in the Ivory Coast but moved to England at the age of four and went on to make two friendly appearances for the Three Lions in 2012 and 2013.

After going three years without another England call-up, the winger announced his decision to switch his allegiance to the country of birth in November 2016.

He has scored five goals in 33 appearances for Ivory Coast and has represented the country at the 2017, 2019 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Ademola Lookman

Lookman represented England at youth level and was a key part of the side that won the 2017 Under-20s World Cup alongside the likes of Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

But the winger never played for England at senior level and FIFA allowed him to switch his international allegiance to Nigeria in February 2022.

He has scored eight goals in 25 appearances for Nigeria and helped the country finish as runners-up in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

“I have no regrets,” he said. “I took the right decision. This is my career, I want to play for Nigeria. I am proud of this. I was born in England, but my family is from Nigeria and I have a strong bond with both countries.”

Mason Greenwood