Declan Rice has declared his international future to be with the Three Lions with the young West Ham United midfielder opting not to play for the Republic of Ireland in future despite previously having won three senior caps in friendlies.
With England making their interest in the London-born 20-year-old Rice asked for time to consider his future and earlier this week decided that he would make the leap to the Three Lions.
Sky Sports suggests that Gareth Southgate is keen to name the player in his squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers after he enjoyed an excellent few weeks in the Premier League but that the registration process involved in FIFA allowing him to play for England could preclude that.
It is clear that persuading players who are eligible for your national team to switch or maintain allegiances is one of the newer jobs for an international manager.
In a fast-changing world where people move to different countries more often or are born to parents of different nationalities it is a scenario that will crop up more often than not and has worked both for and against England in recent years.
And with the lack of top-flight playing time still a huge issue for England’s pool of players it is no surprise that no stone is left unturned in the search for new faces and that Rice, as a youngster featuring regularly in the top-fight, was so keenly sought after.