Dean Saunders believes Thomas Tuchel should give Aston Villa wonderkid Brian Madjo his first England cap, despite the 17-year-old not yet appearing in the Premier League. The Three Lions are on the eve of their final Nations League clash of the late September and early October international break.
England's Nations League campaign
England sit second in the Group C standings after three games, three points shy of Spain, who are unbeaten in the last two years. The 2026 World Cup winners managed a 3-2 win over Tuchel's men at Wembley in their Nations League opener, before England bounced back with 2-0 and 7-0 wins over Czechia and Croatia, respectively.
An in-form Harry Kane, who has found the back of the net four times in this year's competition, is expected to once again lead the line when the Three Lions play host to Czechia for their reverse on Tuesday, October 6 at 7.45pm. However, Saunders believes Tuchel should be considering bringing fresh blood into his camp in the form of Madjo.
Saunders' plea for Madjo
Speaking with BetSelect.co.uk, the 62-year-old said: "I really like the look of Brian Madjo. You wouldn’t want to play against him if you were a centre-back. Thomas Tuchel needs to give him a cap as soon as possible, before another nation snaps him up."
A 6ft 4ins striker, Madjo only signed for Aston Villa in the January window, arriving in a deal with Metz reported to be worth around £10million. However, the 17-year-old, who was born in Enfield, is yet to feature under Unai Emery in the English top flight.
Registration and debut
That's not due to a lack of talent, however, with complex matters at hand regarding squad registration. The news emerged in March that Madjo was categorised by FIFA as an international transfer as a result of youth appearances for the Luxembourg international team. That meant the youngster would be unable to actually make a senior appearance for the Villans until he turned 18. Villa, meanwhile, felt as though given Madjo was born in England, he should have been eligible for registration.
An appeal was escalated to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July, with the Villans ultimately seeing their challenge upheld, deeming him eligible to participate in competitive matches. He made his debut for the club in the UEFA Super Cup, scoring in the 45th minute of the 2-1 loss against Paris Saint-Germain. However, he is yet to make a Premier League appearance for the club, given stiff competition in the form of Nicolas Jackson and Tammy Abraham.
It comes as Madjo has made three senior appearances for Luxembourg to date, highlighting how he can hang with more experienced players on the world stage. Given that these appearances came in the form of friendlies, it means he can activate FIFA's one-time international switch to represent England.
With Kane entering the twilight years of his career at 33, and with a lack of out and out strikers on the come-up, the acquisition of Madjo could make or break the Three Lions' attacking threat for the next generation. However, Tuchel will undoubtedly need to see more from the teenager before affording him a call-up, given his performance-based approach to management.
