Scotland manager Steve Clarke has left open the possibility that Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes could switch from England to international duty ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke has admitted he would consider selecting Harvey Barnes for the World Cup, even though it could cause tension within the squad. Scotland look forward to their first World Cup in 28 years, to be held in Canada, the United States and Mexico, and the possibility of calling up the Newcastle winger remains a hot topic.
Burnley-born Burnley holds one cap for England, winning it in a friendly against Wales in 2020, but remains eligible for Scotland through his grandparents. The 28-year-old knows he may not be forced to join Thomas Tuchel’s team in the distant future, given the intense competition for attacking positions, and has not ruled out a change of allegiance.
He has seven goals and two assists in 23 appearances for Newcastle this season and will add to Scotland’s firepower. Clarke has made it clear the ball is in Barnes’ court as the Tartan Army have group games against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil next summer.
“Well, if he left the door open, the door should be open, so let’s see what happens,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that’s probably hard to talk about because you don’t know what’s going to happen.
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“Harvey probably thinks he’s going to be selected for England. He’s doing really well at the moment so we’ll see what happens. Obviously people know I’m very loyal to the players in the team and that’s what we’ve built.”
“We’ve been trying to build it up over the years, but there’s always space. The team size will be 26 players, which will always give you at least three extra spaces on a normal 23-man squad. There’s always injuries and drops in form to consider.”
The Scottish trio of Scott McTominay, Che Adams and Angus Gunn were all born in England, and the path was clear for Barnes. Asked by Sky Sports in November if the door had closed on him playing for Scotland, he replied: “No, of course not. I’ve obviously played for England and I know I’m still eligible.”
“So it’s hard to say one way or the other. But like I said, there hasn’t been any real discussions or any progress in that sense. I don’t think too much about it.
“There was always that kind of talk about it. Especially recently, it wasn’t really on my mind or really talked about. It was great to see them go (to the World Cup) and it was a crazy game.”
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