Six potential debutants during the international break | OneFootball

The first international break of the year is here with crucial Nations League clashes and World Cup qualifiers.

There are plenty of new faces in squads across the globe and we’ve picked out six stars who could make their international debuts this month.

Desire Doue (France)

Part of an exciting Paris Saint-Germain side who are emerging as contenders in the Champions League, Desire Doue has earned a maiden France call this month.

Despite not being an automatic starter, the 19-year-old has seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions, averaging a goal involvement every 115 minutes.

Last week, he kept his cool with the winning spot-kick as PSG dumped Liverpool out of the Champions League.

Signed from Rennes for a fee of €50m (£42m) last summer, his arrival coincides with PSG’s refocus to a longer-term project. After impressing for France at youth level and at last summer’s Olympics, Doue will hope to make an impression as Didier Deschamps’ side takes on Croatia in the Nations League quarter-finals this month.

Geovanny Quenda (Portugal)

Geovanny Quenda is celebrating a memorable week with the 17-year-old agreeing a high-profile transfer and earning Portugal recognition.

Quenda has agreed to join Chelsea in a £40m deal, though will remain on loan at Sporting Lisbon until 2026. The teenager will continue his development in the Portuguese capital, where he recorded 20 goal contributions in 33 appearances for the U23s last season before breaking into the senior side in 2024/25.

In August, he became the youngest player to score for Sporting, eclipsing Simao Sabrosa and Cristiano Ronaldo among others. Now he will link up with the latter for the national team, despite a 23-year age gap between the pair.

Dean Huijsen (Spain)

Bournemouth centre-back Dean Huijsen has earned his first call-up to the Spain squad this week.

The highly-rated teenager has excelled since moving to the Premier League from Juventus last summer. Huijsen’s accomplished performances have helped Bournemouth into the race for Europe, with the defender ranking in the top three percent of Premier League centre-backs for interceptions, clearances and key passes per 90 minutes in 2024/25.

Huijsen, who was born in Amsterdam, represented the Netherlands up to u-19 level before switching his international allegiance to Spain in 2024. He could now make his senior debut against his birth country in their upcoming Nations League quarter-final.

Dan Burn (England)

“I’ve had worse weeks. I don’t want to go to sleep because I feel like I’m dreaming and it’s all going to be a lie,” Dan Burn said on Sunday.

It’s been some week for the Newcastle defender. Fresh from a surprise selection in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, Burn scored the opener as the Magpies ended a 70-year wait for a domestic trophy with Carabao Cup success. For the boyhood fan from Blyth, it was a dream come true and one that, having begun his career at fourth-tier Darlington, once seemed impossible.

The 32-year-old has been recognised for his consistent performances at St James’ Park and could become England’s oldest debutant since 2010.

Murillo (Brazil)

Murillo received his first call-up to the Brazil national team in November 2024 but was an unused substitute for World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. He’s back in the Selecao squad this month, following a fine season for high-flying Nottingham Forest. The 22-year-old is fast emerging as one of the most coveted young centre-backs in Europe, having starred alongside Nikola Milenkovic at the City Ground.

Forest gambled on a player with just 27 senior appearances in 2023 and have been rewarded. After being named Nottingham Forest Player of the Season last term, he’s now part of a side pushing for an unexpected Champions League qualification. A Brazil debut this month would cap his meteoric rise.

Claudio Echeverri (Argentina)

Claudio Echerverri linked up with Manchester City in January, with the deal for the Argentine youngster agreed a year earlier. We’re yet to see the teenager in a City shirt, but Argentina have seen enough to include Echeverri in their squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers.

The 19-year-old recently captained Argentina to a runners-up finish at the Under-20 South American Championship, where he scored six goals in nine appearances.

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