Newcastle midfielder wanted by Scotland and Gareth Southgate is emblematic of youngsters for whom switching nationalities has become normal
In the offices of St George’s Park, Gareth Southgate makes a point of attending “grading meetings” where players are assessed for whether they would be suitable for an England youth team call-up. It is fair to say plenty of talent has been in the in-tray, with Michael Olise, Evan Ferguson and Jamal Musiala among those assessed.
It was not so long ago – namely the Fabio Capello era – when the emphasis was on the now rather than the future but Southgate has always had his eye on the next generation, which is no surprise given the under-21 role he held before taking charge. Never before has the landscape been so complicated with talent able to swap countries at youth level and even after an international cap.
Southgate’s team will face Scotland on Tuesday and he will be facing Angus Gunn, who played in his England Under-21 side. Scotland had hoped to give a debut to Whitley Bay-born Elliot Anderson but he pulled out through injury and opened the door to return to playing for England. Meanwhile, Harvey Barnes was given an England cap by Southgate but is wanted by Scotland.
“Elliot will still have that choice to make,” said Scotland manager Steve Clarke. “We like the player as well. When I come out of this camp I will look at what we have done, what we’ve had, what’s occurred over this camp. We will do a debrief and then we will shape what we do from there.”