Football
Mark Rodden 8y

Man United's Adnan Januzaj could quit Belgium to Kosovo - Wilmots

Belgium manager Marc Wilmots has said he is in the dark about whether Adnan Januzaj will switch allegiance should Kosovo be recognised by UEFA next month.

Kosovo is hoping to be approved as UEFA's 55th member when European football's governing body holds its annual congress in Budapest on May 3.

The tiny Balkan state declared independence from Serbia in 2008. In the past three years, its football team have played a series of friendly matches as hopes grow that they could be included in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.

Januzaj, 21, has played six matches for Belgium, including one minute of their 0-0 draw with Wales in a Euro 2016 qualifier.

However, the Manchester United winger could still play for Kosovo, where his parents fled from in the 1990s, because its football team was not recognised by UEFA or FIFA when he chose to represent Belgium.

Januzaj rejected a call-up to the Belgian Under-21 squad last November and last week Belgian magazine Sport/Foot suggested that he now wants to line out for Kosovo.

When asked about the situation on Thursday, Wilmots said he had no idea if the report was accurate.

"I read that too but I don't know anything about it," he told La Derniere Heure.

"Two years ago I asked him to choose with his heart and he came with us.

"If he changes his mind now and he feels that it's better to go elsewhere, I'll take note of it.

"I won't be able to do anything else in any case."

Januzaj was not due to figure in Wilmots' plans for Euro 2016 as the player has struggled to get game time this season.

Having started two Premier League matches for United in August, he then decided to join Borussia Dortmund on loan for the remainder of the campaign.

But Januzaj made only six substitute appearances in the Bundesliga and had his loan deal cut short in January.

He has played 14 minutes in two cameos for United since then and Wilmots said he had questioned whether the move to Dortmund was wise.

"He's going through a second difficult season in a row," the former Schalke midfielder told La Derniere Heure.

"The last time we spoke was when he chose to be loaned to Dortmund. I asked him if it was a good idea given the huge competition over there as well."

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