Nigeria set to miss out as England name Chelsea star for Republic of Ireland, Finland ties

England have announced a 26-man squad ahead of their UEFA Nations League engagements next month, Soccernet.ng reports.

After their impressive start to the 2024/25 season, three Chelsea players made the cut including Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, and Noni Madueke. 

It is the first senior England call-up for Madueke, who is also eligible to represent Nigeria, the birthplace of his father.

A left-footed right winger, Madueke would have been a great addition to the Super Eagles, where he can offer stiff competition to AC Milan attacker Samuel Chukwueze.

However, it appears England have beaten Nigeria in the race for Madueke’s international allegiance.

The former PSV forward has caught the eye of interim England boss Lee Carsley who has named him to the squad set to face the Republic of Ireland and Finland in September.

Madueke has enjoyed a stunning start to the new season under Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.

After missing Chelsea’s Premier League opening day defeat to Manchester City, Madueke proved his worth by netting a goal in the Blues’ 2-0 win over Servette in the Europa Conference League first-leg qualifiers.

The 22-year-old winger then took his performance a notch higher, smashing an excellent hat-trick as Chelsea secured a 6-2 league win over Wolves last weekend.

Having already made his impact felt for England at various youth levels including winning the UEFA European Under-21 Championship last year, Madueke will look to impress on his senior debut.

He could earn his first England cap when the Three Lions face the Republic of Ireland inside the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on September 7. Three days later, the Euro 2024 finalists will trade tackles with Finland at the Wembley Stadium in London.