England at risk of losing rising Premier League star to international rivals Portugal

Feb 25, 2026 - 11:45

Wolves youngster Mateus Mane is subject to a tussle between Portugal and England.

Portugal manager Roberto Martinez is a known admirer of the 18-year-old, who has experienced a Premier League breakthrough this season.

Mateus Mane celebrating — Mane has two goals and two assists in the 25/26 season

The forward has appeared for England Under-18s seven times, after opting to play for the Young Lions in October 2024.

Mane moved to England aged eight after he was born in Barreiro, Portugal.

It is understood Martinez has plans to move Mane up to the senior squad after the World Cup if Portugal can persuade him to switch international allegiance.

England U21s boss Lee Carsley has also expressed he is interested in the player.

Mane is currently focused on Wolves and their battle to avoid breaking Derby County‘s record low points tally of 11.

The Wanderers are currently sat at the bottom of the table in the Premier League, 17 points away from safety and all-but certain to be relegated.

Wolves have been able to take points in recent games including a draw against league leaders Arsenal.

Despite their negative season, the forward has been a breath of fresh air for Rob Edwards‘ side.

He became the club’s youngest goalscorer in their first win this season against West Ham United.

After scoring his first goal, he said: “I can’t believe it, it’s what I’ve worked for, the first goal and win this season and we just need to keep working on it.

Mateus Mane playing for England U18s — The Wolves starlet was called up for both Portugal and England and chose the latter

“I was buzzing to hear the fans singing, they’ve got our backs and we deserved the three points.

“It always feels like it’s coming [the first goal], in training I have been practicing and now I’ve scored.

“Sometimes I look back and everything has happened so quickly but I feel like I deserve to be here and I’ve just got to take it all in.

“It’s amazing hearing the fans singing my name and having our backs, even when we are not performing at our best.”

Additionally, he scored the equaliser to get a point against Everton in the following match.

Mane made his debut under Vitor Pereira in 2024, a 2-0 defeat by Brighton just after he joined from Rochdale.

Declan Rice playing for Ireland — Rice originally played for Ireland, before making his England debut in 2019

Yet under Edwards he has established himself as a first team player.

His full debut came at Anfield in December and he has since started the past 11 league games, making 17 appearances this season in total.

The 18-year-old has not only impressed on an international level but also amongst the other Premier League clubs.

With Wolves being almost certain to suffer relegation, there’s a growing feeling Mane will become available and top-flight clubs are already circling.

How can Portugal take Mane after he has already played for England?

Players who have only featured internationally at youth level, such as Mane, are free to switch allegiance regardless of how many games they have played.

This has benefitted England in multiple circumstances including Declan Rice and Jack Grealish swapping their allegiance from the Republic of Ireland.

Another example of the rule is Zinedine Zidane‘s son, Luca Zidane, who changed to represent Algeria despite being a part of France’s youth sides 30 times.

In 2021, FIFA introduced a rule that allows a player who had up to three international caps prior to the age of 21 to switch nations.

The previous rule meant a player could not change their international loyalty once they had earned a senior cap in a competitive match.