REVEALED: Canales and Telles among 10 players bidding to make late international debuts

The first international break of 2019 is now upon us and countries are now preparing themselves for major tournaments in the years to come. Nations mainly look to the future but some countries have this week turned to players blossoming in the latter half of their career. Here we run through 10 potential international debutants who have left it later than most in a bid to turn out for their country, with selected Football INDEX share prices.

Moraes (31, Shakhtar Donetsk) – Ukraine

Brazil’s loss is certainly Ukraine’s gain, as the Shakhtar Donetsk striker gears up to make his Yellow-Blue debut after switching international allegiance earlier this month. The 31-year-old was never selected by Brazil and is finally ready to make his mark on the international stage with his second home. Moraes, who started his career at Santos, has been a goal machine in Eastern Europe for the past eight years and Ukraine will certainly benefit from his availability. Moraes finished Shakhtar’s campaign in this season’s Champions League as their highest WhoScored rated player (7.55), 0.49 rating points clear of any other team-mate.

Alex Telles (26, Porto) – Brazil
Football INDEX share price - £1.56

Brazil manager Tite has rewarded Alex Telles with his first international call-up for matches against Panama and Czech Republic. Telles has been in superb form for Porto this season and is finally on the cusp of international recognition. The 26-year-old can consider himself unlucky not to have turned out for the Selecao already in his career, only held back by the wealth of riches in his position. Brazil have been able to call on Marcelo, Filipe Luis and Alex Sandro in recent years but only the latter has made the squad this time around. Telles is the fourth highest WhoScored rated player in Liga NOS this season (7.53).

Dyego Sousa (29, Braga) - Portugal

Brazilian-born Dyego Sousa will in fact attempt to make his Portugal debut in upcoming matches against Ukraine and Serbia. Sousa has spent the last seven years in Portugal but could now be about to get his big break after enjoying another eye-catching season for Braga. The 29-year-old is unfortunate that Cristiano Ronaldo has picked these sets of matches to make his first Portugal appearance since the 2018 World Cup but will hope to get his chance nonetheless. Sousa is joint-second in the race for the Golden Boot in Liga NOS this season (14 goals) and has won the WhoScored Man of the Match award more times than any other player in the division (6).

Jaime Mata (30, Getafe) – Spain
Football INDEX share price - £1.30

Jaime Mata has been a revelation for Getafe this season and richly deserves his first ever Spain call-up. Getafe are unlikely occupiers of fourth place and Mata has inspired their European challenge since the turn of the year. In fact, only Paco Alcacer (14) has scored more goals than Mata (13) of all Spanish players in Europe’s top five leagues this season. Mata has scored or assisted nine goals in his last six league outings and they have been worth 12 points to Getafe alone. Spain kick off their qualification campaign for Euro 2020 with matches against Norway and Malta over the next week and Mata will be desperate to feature as this may be his only chance to turn out for La Roja.

James Collins (28, Luton) – Ireland

Ireland manager Mick McCarthy has dropped down to League One in search of a regular goalscoring striker after handing Luton ace James Collins his first ever senior Ireland call-up. Collins, who represented Ireland’s U21s earlier in his career, has taken League One by storm this season and is the current top goalscorer in the division (20). The 28-year-old’s goals make up 28% of Luton’s total output and they are a big reason why the Hatters are five points clear at the top of League One. With Shane Long and Jonathan Walters unavailable during the international break, Collins has a good chance to impress over the next week.

Ivan Marcone (28, Boca Juniors) - Argentina

Boca Juniors defensive midfielder Ivan Marcone has been handed only his second ever international call-up and first since sitting on the bench in a 2-0 defeat to Bolivia in March 2017. Marcone only returned to Argentina in January and his decision has paid dividends. Only one player has won possession in the middle third in the Superliga in 2019 more times than Marcone (58). Moreover, the 28-year-old has made the most tackles and interceptions combined in the Superliga this term (57) and has established himself as the third highest WhoScored rated player in the division (7.47). Argentina’s current squad lacks experienced midfielders and Marcone will surely get his chance to impress in matches against Venezuela and Mexico.

Sergio Canales (28, Real Betis) - Spain
Football INDEX share price - £1.97

It was thought that Sergio Canales would be a regular in the Spanish national team by now after joining Real Madrid as a teenager back in 2010. Now 28, Canales has received his first ever senior call-up after finally discovering his best form for Real Betis. The creative midfielder is Betis’ highest WhoScored rated player in La Liga this season (7.07), while only Giovani Lo Celso gained a better rating in the club's Europa League campaign. Canales has scored six league goals this season, more than his last three league campaigns combined (4).

John Fleck (27, Sheffield United) - Scotland

Sheffield United midfielder John Fleck will hope to go one better for Scotland during this international break after failing to get off the bench in November’s 3-2 win over Israel in the UEFA Nations League. Fleck is playing a major part in Sheffield United’s unlikely promotion push from the Championship this season and is a regular in the WhoScored Team of the Week. The 27-year-old has only missed one league game for the Blades this season and has returned five assists and two goals from central midfield.

Leonardo Pavoletti (30, Cagliari) - Italy
Football INDEX share price - £0.80

Italy manager Roberto Mancini picked Sampdoria veteran Fabio Quagliarella and Cagliari striker Leonardo Pavoletti over Mario Balotelli for upcoming matches against Finland and Liechtenstein. Quagliarella could make his first international appearance since 2010 but for Pavoletti it would be a debut if he gets on the pitch. The 30-year-old has made the bench on four occasions for Italy in the past but that is the closest he has got to turning out of the Azzurri. He has scored 40% of Cagliari’s league goals this season (10/25) and has won the WhoScored Man of the Match award on five occasions for the Serie A strugglers, who are six points clear of the bottom three largely because of him.

Armando Izzo (27, Torino) – Italy
Football INDEX share price - £0.74

Armando Izzo’s standout campaign for Torino has been rewarded with his first call-up to the Italy national team since November 2016. Izzo didn’t get off the bench against Germany back then but has arguably never been in such good form in his career as he is now, playing a huge part in Torino’s charge for European football next season.

While solid at the back, Izzo has also shown an eye for goal. In fact, only two defenders have scored more times than Izzo (4) in Serie A this season. Moreover, only Lionel Messi and Nicolas Pepe (both 5) have won the WhoScored Man of the Match award more times than Izzo (4) in Europe’s top five leagues in 2019. With Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini ahead of him, Izzo may have to be patient for his Italy debut.