Newcastle United have two midfielders contemplating their international futures between England and Scotland in Elliot Anderson and Harvey Barnes.
While Elliot Anderson considers whether he should turn his back on Scotland with Gareth Southgate admitting he’s on England‘s radar, Harvey Barnes is considering the reverse having earned just one cap for England.
Barnes’ single England cap came in a non-competitive game against Wales which leaves him still open to represent Scotland should he wish thanks to his Scottish grandparents.
Barnes clearly feels his chances of representing England are limited
With Gareth Southgate still picking the likes of Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips despite not playing for their club, Barnes must be wondering if he’ll ever get the chance to pull on the famous Three Lions shirt again.
Therefore Newcastle‘s £39million man is considering an allegiance switch thinking that he’s more likely to receive a call up from Steve Clarke. England have the likes of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, James Maddison and Jack Grealish ahead of Barnes in the pecking order.
With that in mind, and the fact that he’s Scottish, it’s no surprise that Ally McCoist is urging Barnes to make the switch saying on talkSPORT (via The Daily Record): “I may be biased, but he has got to switch. He has got to – he is going to get a game. I look at Harvey Barnes and I can see him playing for Scotland. He is the type of player that the Scottish fans love and the Scottish team need, and with the greatest respect I look at the England team and he is no going to play – they have got Saka, Foden and Grealish.
McCoist says it will be difficult for Barnes to break into England squad
“It is going to be extremely difficult for him to play. I am being a bit light-hearted about it and I don’t think it’s a no-brainer, but it looks like Scotland now have a squad capable of qualifying for championships.”
As I said before about Elliot Anderson, being an Englishman and a Newcastle supporter I love seeing our players representing England.
On the flip side, as I become increasingly disillusioned with the England set-up, I find myself caring less and less about who plays for England as the team is not even picked on merit anyway.
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