Newcastle United winger hasn't ruled out international defection in wake of World Cup miracle last night
Last night, Steve Clarke sent Scotland to a men's World Cup Finals for the first time in 28 years as his Tartan Army defeated Denmark in some style.
This qualification may be giving a few players some pause for thought, particularly those eligible for a Scotland call-up who have been perhaps ignoring that side of their family tree in the hopes of picking up an England call.
Newcastle United has one such player in Harvey Barnes, who still remains eligible to represent Scotland due to the fact he hasn't played a competitive game for England despite having been called up in 2020.
There has been talk of Barnes defecting to Scotland, and today, Keith Downie has spoken to him about that very topic in the wake of Scotland's qualification.
Keith Downie asked Harvey Barnes if he's closed the door on playing for Scotland
Downie was fortunate to have an interview scheduled with Barnes today, so, as a Scot, he took his shot and asked if there's still a chance, and Barnes didn't seem to rule it out.
“It’s not something I’ve really spoken about or put thought into recently. There’s always been talk about it and a while ago there was bits and bobs about it. But recently it’s not cropped up.
“It was great to see them win and get through last night, it was a crazy game, and I’m sure everyone in Scotland enjoyed themselves.
“Is it closed off? No, of course it’s not. I’ve obviously played for England and I know the eligibility side of it is still there so it’s hard to say either way but there’s been no real chats or progression in that sense.”
Harvey Barnes may be better off making the call to defect to Scotland
Elliot Anderson was in a similar boat when he was at Newcastle, although he had represented England at the Under-16 level and then switched to Scotland up to the Under-21s. When he was called up for the senior side, he pulled out of the camp and kept his eligibility for England open.
That proved to be the right move for him and England as he's now a regular starter under Thomas Tuchel and is regularly getting rave reviews for his performances in an England shirt.
With all due respect to Harvey Barnes, he's probably at the point now where it's Scotland or nothing, especially as he can't displace Anthony Gordon at club level, never mind international level.
