Ivory Coast boss hopes England defender Guehi will switch allegiance

Ivory Coast boss Patrice Beaumelle is hopeful he can convince England defender Marc Guehi to switch his international allegiance.

Guehi, who was born in Ivory Coast, made his senior debut in the Three Lions’ victory over Switzerland at Wembley on Saturday.

The Crystal Palace defender has now represented England at every level from Under 16 upwards, and could make his second appearance in Tuesday’s clash with the Elephants.

However, the 21-year-old is still eligible to switch to the country of his birth, having yet to appear in a competitive match under Gareth Southgate.

Guehi, who spent the 2020-21 season on loan at Championship side Swansea City, has made 28 Premier League appearances since leaving Chelsea for Selhurst Park in July.

The Eagles have kept eight league clean sheets along the way, a tally bettered by just seven sides in the English top-flight this term.

And Ivory Coast head coach Beaumelle hopes Guehi will follow in the footsteps of Wilfried Zaha by swapping the Three Lions for the Elephants.

"I have been following Marc for two years, since he was playing at Swansea," he said.

"I know he can still choose Ivory Coast, so we are working on that. I tried to contact him several weeks ago.

"But when I saw him in the English lists, I understood that at the moment, he wants to try with the Three Lions.

"The choice has to come from the heart. He will make his own decision. He did well in his first cap for England.

"Maybe, we will try for the orange jersey of Ivory Coast – you never know.

"I will wait a few weeks and try to contact him to know if he is interested."