Amir Ibragimov receives controversial international call up from Russia | OneFootball

Manchester United’s Amir Ibragimov has received an international call-up to the senior Russia squad.

Russia have named a 36-man squad list for their upcoming summer friendlies and training camp. Matches are scheduled for the end of May and early June against Egypt, Burkina Faso, and Trinidad and Tobago.

It is not yet clear whether the United youngster has accepted the call-up and will attend.

Not a straightforward decision for Amir Ibragimov

The Russian national team is currently banned from competing in official competitions after sanctions relating to the invasion of Ukraine.

Beyond the current sanctions against Russia, the call-up is potentially further controversial as the Russian Football Union has reportedly not contacted Manchester United to inform them of the move.

Journalist Nathan Salt has reported that “United are yet to receive any contact from the Russian FA about Amir Ibragimov.” “Think it could become a touch more complicated than any other international call-up if they do.”

The move drops a figurative and literal minefield into United’s lap as they will be forced to either take a stand and block the call-up or potentially face backlash for allowing it.

England or Russia

The talented United youngster was born in Russia but moved to England when he was a child, initially joining Sheffield United before making the move to United.

The youngster has previously represented England at U15 and U16 levels, including scoring a goal against Italy U16 the last time he received a call-up in 2024.

Ibragimov has never represented England in an official competition, which starts at U17 level, and has not received any further England youth call-ups in the past two years.

Given his high level of talent, further caps would have been expected, and this has led to questions about whether he has obtained British citizenship yet to make him eligible for official competitions.

As he has not played any official matches for England, the 18-year-old will not be subject to FIFA’s change of association application.

Often captaining United’s U18s, Ibragimov has recently returned from a lengthy foot injury ahead of the team’s FA Youth Cup final on Thursday against Manchester City.

Featured image Ben Roberts photo via Getty Images

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