Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been told he may be waiting a long time for an England pick.
The uncapped 27-year-old recently pledged his international allegiance to the Three Lions despite years of efforts from the Republic of Ireland to call him up.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall handed England warning after international switch snub
Dewsbury-Hall, who has never featured for either nation at youth level, is eligible to play for both due to his family heritage.
He recently told The Times: “My biggest dream as a footballer is to play international football.
“I respect Ireland and I respect the Irish people but I’m English.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall choosing between England or Ireland
3
Dewsbury-Hall has been a key player for Everton this season and has now made it clear he will wait for England
“To play for England for me would be the biggest achievement of my career.
READ MORE ON ENGLAND
“I think it would be wrong of me to keep letting things drag on when I’ve got a clear goal in my head to play for England one day.
“Ireland have been trying to get me to play for them for about five years.
“I’ve made my feelings known in terms of, ‘Look, I don’t want to make any decisions, I want to keep playing my football, concentrating on football and whatever happens, happens.’
“Just because I’ve seen so much speculation around it right now, I think it’s only fair of me to say my biggest dream would be to play for England.
“It would be the proudest moment of my life if I played for England.”
talkSPORT's chief football correspondent Alex Crook believes that dream is unlikely to come true in the near future.
Foden and Grealish are ahead of Dewsbury-Hall in the pecking order - and they are still on the fringes
3
Foden and Grealish are ahead of Dewsbury-Hall in the pecking order - and they are still on the fringesCredit: Getty
When asked if he was surprised by Dewsbury-Hall's comments, Crook told talkSPORT: "A little bit.
"Because I think if you look at the England squad now, and we're talking about probably going to the World Cup without the likes of Jack Grealish and Phil Foden, it's difficult to see how Dewsbury-Hall [gets picked], as well as he's playing for Everton.
"I was there at the weekend and they lost 3-0, but him and Jack Grealish played particularly well.
"I don't see that an England cap is on the horizon anytime soon."
Dewsbury-Hall becomes the latest player of Irish descent to choose England over the Boys in Green.
His Everton teammate Grealish switched allegiance to Ireland despite playing for their youth teams, as did Arsenal superstar Declan Rice.
Crook added: "Maybe, as much as [Dewsbury-Hall] wants to play for England, it also tells you where the Republic of Ireland are at this moment in time.
"Maybe they're not quite such a draw as they would have been in the mid-90s."
Dewsbury-Hall's return to form
Dewsbury-Hall in the Premier League this season
3
Dewsbury-Hall in the Premier League this season
Despite arriving at Chelsea with a big reputation following his heroics at Leicester in the 2023/24 campaign, Dewsbury-Hall struggled to break into the team during his one season at the club.
He has now established himself as a regular starter at Everton since leaving the Blues in a £28million deal during the summer.
As for England, the Three Lions have already sealed qualification for the 2026 World Cup with two matches two spare.
Thomas Tuchel turned heads by leaving Jude Bellingham, Grealish and Foden out of his most recent squad, even though Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke were unavailable.
Read More on talkSPORT
Ireland can still qualify for next year's event in USA, Canada and Mexico.
They are one-point behind second-place Hungary in Group F with two matches remaining.