Clarke dealt major blow as English-born star confirms he won’t play for Scotland

SCOTLAND were already dealt a blow this international window when Tino Livramento landed a first senior call up to the England squad.

And now another English-born ace has revealed he has no plans to turn out for the Scottish national team.

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Scotland fans have been keen to see new faces called-up to the squad in recent times.

They got their wish when Ben Doak and Ryan Gauld were brought into the fold for the Nations League double-header against Poland and Portugal.

But they’ve also been desperate to see a few English-born stars declare for Scotland and join the group.

Three names in particular have been consistently touted as new Scotland stars.

Harvey Barnes, Tino Livramento and Elliot Anderson are all eligible to play for Scotland internationally.

Newcastle winger Barnes, 26, has been capped once by England but could still switch allegiance due to that appearance coming in a friendly.

The former Leicester man admitted last month that he’d had “one or two conversations” about playing for Scotland but insisted he hadn’t really thought about it too much.

Certainly, however, Barnes wasn’t closing the door on playing for Scotland.

One player who does look set to be closing that door is his Toon teammate Livramento.

Scotland fans have been begging Steve Clarke to bring the former Chelsea kid into the fold for some time.

Capped by England from under-15 to under-21 level, the London-born right-back received a senior call-up this international window.

He didn’t feature in their 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland last night but should he feature in Tuesday’s clash with Finland, then it will be curtains for any hopes of Livramento ever representing Scotland.

The third player mentioned is Elliot Anderson.

And his decision whether to represent England or Scotland has certainly been played out more publicly than any of t

/he two other players aforementioned.

Born in Whitley Bay in England, Anderson has represented Scotland internationally from under-16 level through to the under-21s.

The midfielder featured in an unofficial match for the England U19s in March 2021 before subsequently representing Scotland’s U21s.

Having made his debut for the Scots U21s in June 2023, he subsequently withdrew from the squad as he wanted to keep his options open.

Two months later, Anderson received his first senior Scotland call-up.

Steve Clarke brought him in ahead of a Euro 2024 qualifier against Cyprus and friendly with England.

Anderson, however, withdrew from the squad.

Officially, it was due to injury but it emerged in the days that followed Anderson was still weighing up his international future.

His departure from the Scotland squad also came on the backdrop of then-England manager Gareth Southgate revealing he was a fan of Anderson.

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It had all gone a little quiet on the Anderson front in recent months, however.

At club level, he switched Newcastle for Nottingham Forest in a mega money £35million deal.

And with his club future sorted, his international future has now become a whole lot clearer.

That’s because Anderson has revealed he’s made his final decision.

And in a major blow to Clarke and Scotland, the 21-year old has stated he will be representin ENGLAND goin forward.

Anderson has confirmed that’s his final call having made his England under-21 debut in a 0-0 draw with Northern Ireland on Friday.

He’s since been quizzed on his international future and confirmed that he HAS committed to playing for England.

Anderson said: “I see myself playing for England.

“It was tough because I’m Scottish and English but it’s something I’ve been trying to decide for a while and I hope I’ve made the right decision.

“It is just how you feel, that is the most important thing.

“How you feel when you put the strip on and that is what swayed the decision.”

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