Fabio Carvalho opens door to England return with Portugal U21 U-turn

The Liverpool youngster has represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 level

Liverpool youngster Fabio Carvalho has turned his back on Portugal Under-21s after pulling out of their latest squad.

The 20-year-old, who moved to England with his family in 2013, had made four appearances for the country of his birth, having previously represented England at under-16, under-17 and under-18 level.

Carvalho, who was named in Portugal’s preliminary 55-man World Cup squad, was due to play in friendlies against the Czech Republic and Japan over the coming week, but has withdrawn and that could open the door to a potential England return.

“Fabio Carvalho informed the Portuguese Football Federation, through some SMS messages, that he does not intend to continue representing Portugal at the under-21 level,” said a statement from the Portuguese Football Federation.

“This decision by the player was communicated after the call-up for the preparation games with the Czech Republic and Japan was known.”

Carvalho was called up by Portugal in March while still at Fulham, around the time England manager Gareth Southgate admitted he was on their radar.

“We like him. We would like him in our under-21s, but he hasn’t got an English passport,” he said eight months ago.

“He was able to play in our younger age groups without a passport, but he’s got to pass the tests to be able to get the passport, so we couldn’t select him for the 21s. We’d like to have done that.”