Borussia Dortmund midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka has switched allegiance from England to Austria just months ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The 22-year-old's international career had been a subject of speculation for quite sometime now with Chukwuemeka eligible to represent multiple national teams.
Having been born in Austria, he was eligible to play for Das Team, but opted to play for England in his youth career, representing them in various youth sides.
He was widely touted to pick the Three Lions in his senior career too but given the competition for places in the squad, the Dortmund star hadn't received a call-up yet.
With the World Cup only three months away now, the former Chelsea and Aston Villa player was under mounting pressure to make a decision and has now chosen to go with Austria.
The decision wasn't entirely out of the blue though, with reports last month suggesting that Austria's head coach Ralf Rangnick and the national team board had been trying to persuade him for a while now.
Chukwuemeka was also eligible to play for African giants Nigeria through his parents, but with the Super Eagles failing to qualify for the upcoming showpiece, the liklihood of him choosing them was minimal.
Austria, on the other hand, qualified for their first World Cup since 1998 following a fabulous run in the UEFA qualifiers, winning Group H with six wins from eight games and 19 points in the bag.
Their reward was a tough-looking group in the finals against defending world champions Argentina as well as Algeria and Jordan in Group J.
Given his creative abilities with the propensity to pop up with occasional goals, one can expect Chukwuemeka to be pulling the strings in Austria's attacking vanguard at the World Cup.
Now that his decision is official, the player could also be called up for this month's international friendly games against Ghana and South Korea as Austria begin their preparations for the tournament.
Chukwuemeka has found consistent gametime under Niko Kovac this season, amassing 30 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund while contributing five goals in total.
He had initially joined Dortmund on loan from Chelsea in January last year before his move was made permanent in the summer.
Currently, the midfield starlet is out with a muscular problem but will be hoping to return to fitness soon in time for Austria's games on 27 and 31 March 2026.