Leeds United star appears to answer Spain question with response to England call-up

Leeds United starlet Mateo Joseph has reacted to his first call-up for England.

The Leeds under-21s star has been selected for England under-20s for the first time, at age 19, and is an interesting selection given he was born in Spain. Joseph is eligible to play for both England and Spain, having been born in Santander to an English father and Spanish mother.

The promising forward grew up in Spain, representing Espanyol before joining Leeds’ academy in 2022. Since then, he has racked up a number of senior appearances across three competitions. Up to this point, Joseph has not been selected by Spain’s youth age groups, but England have put forth their claim to the forward, selecting him for the under-20s.

Ian Foster’s youngsters face Germany, USA and France during the international break, and Joseph will be part of that squad. It’s a particular boost for Joseph given England under-20s will be competing at the under-20s World Cup this summer.

Reacting to the call-up, Joseph said on Instagram: “Very proud and exciting”, which suggests he has few reservations about representing the Three Lions over Spain. That said, Joseph won’t confirm his international allegiance until he makes a competitive senior appearance for either England or Spain. Players are free to represent one country at youth level and another at senior level.

It seems England have the early advantage after making the first move to bring the Leeds youngster into their setup.