Declan Rice made his senior debut for the Republic of Ireland on March 23, 2018.

It must have been a proud moment for Rice and his family, despite his appearance coming in a 1-0 defeat to Turkey.

The 19-year-old has since gone on to play in two more matches for the senior team but he was left out of the recent squad for the UEFA Nations League match against Wales.

That's because Ireland boss Martin O’Neill has given Rice, who was born in London, time to make a decision after he was approached by England to play for the Three Lions.

Rice can switch national allegiance because his three Ireland appearances have come in friendly matches.

O’Neill said that Rice, whose grandparents were from Cork, is still deliberating between Ireland and England.

The matter raises an interesting debate as to whether players should be allowed to choose which national team they play for.

Neville weighs in

Should England be allowed to approach him now that he’s played international football at senior level for another nation?

Should meetings be held to determine the best option for the player, with agents involved?

Former England player and coach Gary Neville has weighed in on the matter on Twitter.

In Neville’s eyes, players shouldn’t be allowed to request meetings to determine which country they would prefer to play for.

Instead, they should know early on which nation they would prefer to represent.

“You should know where your allegiance lies,” Neville wrote.

“I remember when with England and [Jack] Grealish (the agent ) wanting meetings so he could decide who to choose.

“The idea of a country begging/trying to convince someone to represent them is wrong.”

One of Neville’s followers responded by pointing out that many players from mixed heritage struggle to reach a decision.

Neville replied: “That’s fine but this situation doesn’t just creep up on you.

“You’ve had years to think about it with your family where your allegiance lies.

“Not just wait to see if a countries manager fancies you or not!”

The Manchester United legend also debated the topic with Sky Sports presenter Kelly Cates.

“It shouldn’t be an auction with agents involved to decide which country to play for,” he argued.

It's certainly an interesting debate, and something that really needs to be discussed at a higher level.