Dean Saunders urges Tuchel to hand England debut to Aston Villa's 17-year-old Brian Madjo

Dean Saunders has called on England manager Thomas Tuchel to hand Aston Villa teenager Brian Madjo his first senior international cap, warning that the 17-year-old could be poached by another nation if action is not taken soon.

Saunders made his case as England prepare to host Czechia in their final UEFA Nations League Group C fixture of the October international window, with Tuchel’s side sitting second — three points behind an unbeaten Spain after three games.

“I really like the look of Brian Madjo,” Saunders said. “You wouldn’t want to play against him if you were a centre-back. Thomas Tuchel needs to give him a cap as soon as possible, before another nation snaps him up.”

The urgency behind that warning stems from Madjo’s eligibility situation. The Enfield-born striker has made three senior appearances for Luxembourg, meaning a window exists for him to switch allegiance to England — but only while he has not yet been capped at senior level by a competing nation under FIFA’s eligibility rules.

Madjo joined Aston Villa from Metz in the January transfer window in a deal reported to be worth around £10 million, but his path to the first team was complicated almost immediately. FIFA classified his move as an international transfer due to youth appearances for Luxembourg, which initially prevented him from featuring for Villa until he turned 18.

Villa contested the ruling on the grounds that Madjo was born in England and should have been eligible for domestic registration. The club escalated an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in July, and the challenge was ultimately upheld, clearing him to play competitive football.

He marked his Villa debut in the UEFA Super Cup by scoring in the 45th minute of a 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain — a striking introduction to senior club football for a player yet to turn 18. Despite that cameo, Madjo has not yet featured in the Premier League, with Nicolas Jackson and Tammy Abraham ahead of him in the pecking order under Unai Emery.

Meanwhile, Harry Kane remains the focal point of England’s attack and is expected to lead the line against Czechia, having scored four times in this Nations League campaign. England recovered from a 3-2 opening defeat to Spain at Wembley with back-to-back wins — 2-0 over Czechia and 7-0 against Croatia — to keep their qualification hopes alive.