With the Nations League Finals, Africa Cup of Nations, Euro 2020 qualifiers, the Gold Cup and youth tournaments set to keep players and fans occupied for the next few months, several Wolves stars are already confirmed to be swapping their gold and black for national team colours.
Those already announced to be playing international matches this summer are Rui Patricio, Joao Moutinho, Ruben Neves, Diogo Jota (Portugal), Raul Jimenez (Mexico), Leander Dendoncker (Belgium), Matt Doherty (Ireland), Morgan Gibbs-White (England under-21), Ruben Vinagre (Portugal under-20) and Connor Ronan (Ireland under-21).
Romain Saiss, a regular in the Moroccan side, has also been named in the provisional 27-man squad for his country’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign and will soon find out if he will be one of Morocco's 23 players to compete in that tournament.
The Portuguese quartet of Patricio, Moutinho, Neves and Jota could face England in the Nations League Final if both sides win their semi-final matches next month. Portugal play Switzerland in their semi on 5th June, before a final or third-place play-off against either Gareth Southgate’s side or the Netherlands on 9th June.
Jimenez and Mexico head to the Gold Cup between 15th June and 7th July when they will play Cuba, Canada and Martinique in the group stages of the competition.
Dendoncker will join up with his Belgian teammates for two Euro 2020 qualifiers against Group I rivals Kazakhstan on 8th June and Scotland on 11th June.
Doherty is also in Euro 2020 qualifying action as Ireland faces two Group D matches away in Denmark on 7th June before returning to Dublin to entertain Gibraltar on 10th June.
In the Ireland under-21 side, Ronan – who has just signed a new contract with Wolves until 2021 – will hope to play a part in his side’s Toulon Tournament matches which runs between 1st June and 15th June. Playing in Group C, Ireland face China, Mexico and Bahrain.
Gibbs-White’s performances for Wolves this season has seen him rewarded with his first call-up to the England under-21 side. The former World Cup winner with the under-17s and captain for the under-19s will make the step-up to the highest level of England’s international development football as part of the U21 Euros which starts on 16th June through to the final on 30th June. England will compete against France, Romania and Croatia in group C.
Vinagre could be the first of the Wolves players to feature in an international match this summer as Portugal under-20s prepare to face South Korea in the first match of their U20 World Cup campaign on Saturday 25th May. They will then play Argentina and South Africa as part of the competition which runs until 15th June.
