A former England international has urged Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to switch to the Republic of Ireland after the in-form midfielder's latest snub from Thomas Tuchel
Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has repeatedly insisted he wants to keep trying to get into the England squad despite interest from the Republic of Ireland
Everton's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has repeatedly insisted he wants to keep trying to get into the England squad despite interest from the Republic of Ireland
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If earning an England call-up remains the “dream” of Everton star Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then should continue playing the long game despite being urged to switch his international allegiance to the Republic of Ireland.
After running the show for the Blues again and netting their last goal in their 3-1 comeback win over Coventry City last Friday to ensure they went into the second international break this season on the back of a hat-trick of consecutive victories, the midfielder himself told Sky Sports: “It was a disappointing one. I’m not going to lie, it’s a massive dream to play for my country. I know I was close, so I’m sad, but really happy and proud of myself for how I’ve reacted.
“All I can keep doing is to try and put in good performances and hopefully one day I’ll get the nod, because I’m never going to give up. I’ve got that mentality, I’ll just keep pushing and pushing and see what happens.”
Indeed, even his club boss David Moyes, a proud Scot, remarked: “When you’re in that position, the best thing to do is to try and go again. If England get a couple of injuries, maybe they’ve got Kiernan in their minds that they’ll call him up. The best thing they can do is keep doing as well as he is doing and I’m sure the [England] manager will keep an eye on him.”
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For his part, Three Lions head coach Thomas Tuchel insisted: “He is close. A very good player, a very good season. In the way we play now, I don’t see him in central midfield – more as an eight or a 10, in the finishing part of the game. The competition is very, very high in our squad in this position. As you know, he was in our squad of 55 [for the World Cup]. You can see his quality and he was very close.”
Indeed, the fact that the likes of Manchester City’s Phil Foden (49 caps) and Chelsea’s Cole Palmer (14 caps) have also been omitted shows just how intense the battle for places is. Considering this, one former Premier League player who did manage to turn out for England on some 19 occasions has suggested that Dewsbury-Hall now turn his international attentions elsewhere.
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Speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest football odds, Danny Mills said: “What you don't want to happen to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is that he just gets a token gesture of two minutes to stop him playing for somebody else and keep him in there and then never play him again.
“One of those 300-odd players that become a one-cap wonder? That’ s what you don’t want, I think there needs to be a clear pathway.
“He obviously needs to have a serious think as well and go: ‘Right, okay, what are my realistic chances of being in this England squad for 20, 30 caps? Is that going to happen? Do I want two or three sub England caps, or do I want 50 for Ireland?’
“That’s the decision that he’ll have to make. It’s a very, very competitive midfield and some young players as well, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden.
“They're in their early to mid-twenties. They know they’re going to be around, Morgan Gibbs-White is going be around for some time to come. Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon.
“There’s a lot of players in there that he's up against that make it very, very difficult to get in that squad and stay in that squad with longevity.
“He’s done fantastically well for Everton, but yeah, I think he probably needs to have a realistic chat and think actually: ‘Am I going to go to the next major tournament with England and play, or do I go and play for somebody else?’”
Perhaps Mills genuinely has what he sees as Dewsbury-Hall’s best interests at heart? He’s got a lot of time for Blues matters given that his son Stanley, who now plays for Preston North End, spent over six years at the club before joining Oxford United in 2025.
Stanley Mills celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League 2 match between Everton and Liverpool at Haig Avenue
Stanley Mills celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League 2 match between Everton and Liverpool at Haig Avenue(Image: Emma Simpson - Everton FC/Everton FC via Getty Images)
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Dewsbury-Hall hails from the East Midlands and was born in Nottingham and grew up in Leicestershire but is eligible to play international football alongside Seamus Coleman and Jake O’Brien through his grandparents and the Irish FA has courted him for years.
Back in May this year, he quashed claims he was switching his international allegiance from England to the Republic of Ireland and reiterated his ambition to be picked by his country of birth, writing on X (formerly Twitter) where the misinformation had been posted: “Just not true. Massive respect to Ireland as I’ve previously stated, but I’m English and England is always the dream.”
Now 28, his mantra on the subject has always been firm and in an interview in October 2025, he told the ECHO: “I respect Ireland and I respect the Irish people but I’m English. To play for England, for me, would be the biggest achievement of my career.
“I think it would be wrong of me to keep letting things drag on when I’ve got a clear goal in my head… That’s nothing against Ireland or anything, they’re unbelievable people. But it would be the proudest moment of my life if I played for England.”
Thoughtful and articulate, Dewsbury-Hall, who Kieran Maguire hailed as being “a model student” who “was a credit to himself and a credit to Everton Football Club,” in an interview with the ECHO after the player graduated from the PFA Business School earlier this autumn, is one of the smartest guys in football.
If, at some point in the future he does want to join up with the Boys in Green, then fair enough, that’s his choice, but he doesn’t need anyone else making his own mind up for him.
Dewsbury-Hall has also spoken candidly about him being a late physical developer – he stood just 5ft 3in when he was 15 – but in contrast to former Blues protege Wayne Rooney who was a fearsome man-child tearing up Premier League opposition defences at 16 and the cream of Europe at 18, prompting his record-breaking transfer to Manchester United – that could work to the current Everton star’s benefit in the long run.
Another attacking midfielder who blossomed under David Moyes was Leon Osman. Like Dewsbury-Hall who was loaned to Blackpool and Luton Town at first club Leicester City, he was had a couple of spells farmed out to the lower divisions – in his case, Carlisle United and Derby County – before getting his breakthrough in the big time.
Osman didn’t start for the Blues until the month of his 23rd birthday but went on to match the legendary Dixie Dean’s total of 433 appearances for the club, a haul that placed him in the all-time top 10 until Seamus Coleman displaced the pair last season. What is also telling is that the diminutive playmaker had to wait until the age of 31 before he made his England debut.
Osman finished with a brace of caps, playing against Sweden and San Marino and he’ll tell Dewsbury-Hall or anyone else that it was well worth the wait.