Dundee United star could be England's World Cup nemesis as boss tips 'destroyer' for international call

The 21-year old has represented his country at youth level and has been one of the Terrors’ most impressive players this season. If Black Stars boss Carlos Queiroz is keeping an eye on the former FC Ashdod man then he could even have an outside shot of earning a place at this summer’s FIFA World Cup.

They have been drawn in Group L for the 2026 finals in North America alongside Panama, Croatia and England. It would certainly be a pleasing sight for United supporters to see their player lining up against the Auld Enemy on football’s biggest stage.

‘They must have some fantastic midfielders’ - Dundee United boss tips midfielder for Ghana call up

“I would imagine Manny isn’t far away from that,” Goodwin said after Sunday’s 3-0 Dundee Derby win at Tannadice. “They must have some fantastic midfielders playing ahead of him for him not to be considered.

“You could argue he's been one of our signings of the season. I know he only came in in the middle of part of it, but he's been so, so consistent.

“He brings so much to the team in terms of the defensive side of things; his positioning out of possession, and ability to read the game. He can put us on dangerous attacks.

“He's not just a destroyer in the middle of the pitch. Technically, Manny a very good player and is very comfortable in possession. He's been a brilliant player for us and already very important.”

United are already safe from the threat of relegation this season but have been left with little to play for other than pride as a result of missing out on the top six. However, Agyei isn’t the only player in their squad that is or could be in contention for international honours and Goodwin expects that will be a big motivating factor for them.

Dundee United’s Australian duo playing for World Cup spots in bottom six fixtures

Defender Ryan Strain, who scored United’s third goal in the Dundee Derby victory, already has four caps for Australia to his name and will hope to make the Socceroo's squad for this summer’s World Cup. The same can be said of teammate Zach Sapsford who is yet to to earn a cap but has certainly been touted as a potential call up for Tony Popovic’s side.

Goodwin added: “There's a lot of players within our group that want to be involved in the international stage in the summer and if they can put in performances like that [beating Dundee 3-0] between now and the end of the season then hopefully they can catch the eye of some of the international managers out there.

“We want Zach Sapsford to score a couple of goals between now and the end of the season. Hopefully, he might be able to stake a claim for the Aussie squad.

“Ryan Strain, fantastic performance today as well. There's a number of other players within the squad that want to be playing international football and we're giving them the platform here at Dundee United to go and do that.”

The Tannadice side have four matches remaining to see out this season, starting this weekend when they face Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. They then face Aberdeen away, Livingston at home and St Mirren away to end their 2025/26 campaign.

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