China eligible Everton youngster selected for England Under-19

Everton defender Tyias Browning has been called up to the England Under-19 squad for an upcoming fixture with Turkey, having previously represented his country at Under-17 level. Interestingly, Browning is one of just a couple of players in top European leagues also eligible to represent China and has already expressed interest in the possibility of playing for country.

can confirm that the Evertonian would qualify for Camacho’s side courtesy of a Chinese grandfather should he decide to obtain citizenship.

A right-back for most of his time in the club’s academy, 18-year-old Browning has recently switched to a central defensive role and is reported to have greatly impressed in his new role, resulting in his latest international call-up. There have also been suggestions that he will step up to first-team level in the not too distant future should his form continue.

His performances, even at reserve level, have been drawing media attention and only this week central defensive partner Shane Duffy said of Browning to the club’s official website: “Tyias has been brilliant and he helps me out because he is quick and talks a lot. He deserves his call-up because he has worked hard all year. Hopefully he can push on because he is learning every week and has got it in him to be a top centre-half.”

The biggest issue to prevent Browning representing China would be obtaining citizenship as, in order to gain Chinese nationality, an eligible applicant must surrender their existing nationality. It is a great sacrifice to make simply for the sake of an international football career and has put off previous candidates from doing so.

Thus far, though, the Everton player has been responsive to the idea of playing for the country of his grandfather’s birth and, who knows, there is always the possibility that regulation will change in the future. For now, though, Ty Browning is certainly a name for Chinese fans to keep an eye on from a distance as his development gathers pace.

has also previously looked at foreign players with Chinese ethnicity and the examples of Sean Tse (HK) and Nico Yennaris, the latter of whom is also eligible for China. To date, Yennaris remains on the fringes of the Arsenal first-team, while Tse now represents Hong Kong First Division League side South China.