Former England footballer Jamie Carragher's son James is in line to play for Malta in the World Cup qualifiers next month, after he was recently granted citizenship.

The 22-year-old Wigan Athletic player is expected to join Ilyas Chouaref, 24, a French-born winger, to debut for the Maltese national team on the international stage.

Malta Football Association president Bjorn Vasallo announced the development at a news conference on Tuesday, saying both players had been granted citizenship. 

Times of Malta first revealed how Jamie Carragher, who earned 38 caps for England as a player, and his son, James, had been granted citizenship by registration.

Jamie Carragher and his mother, Paula née Vassallo, who is also Maltese. Photo: Jamie Carragher

The popular football pundit's grandfather Paul Vassallo was from Qormi and married an English woman before moving to Bootle in the UK. 

Ilya Chouaref also received his passport also through his Maltese connections through the Xuereb family from Nadur, Gozo, which includes his grandfather.  He is also eligible to form part of the senior national team in next month’s World Cup qualifiers.

“The Malta FA scouting department is also on the look out for new young talent and both Carragher and Chouaref were players that we have been following and now we have successfully concluded the process for them to be awarded a Maltese passport,” Vassallo said.

“At the moment, the MFA has over 60 players who are both homegrown as well as having a Maltese passport who are playing outside of our shores in a much higher level championships and that inevitably will increase the competitivity of our national team," he added.