Newcastle United star linked with shock U-turn after latest injury blow

Anderson had seemingly decided his international future after answering the call-up to Scotland’s senior squad for the first time. The Newcastle midfielder has represented Scotland at Under-16, Under-17, Under-18 and Under-21 level but also represented England, the country of his birth, at Under-19 level.

While being capped by Scotland would not necessarily spell the end of Anderson’s chances of playing for England, it would certainly make things more difficult.

Scotland and England were previously locked in a ‘tug of war’ for Anderson but the youngster opted to distance himself from international football last season and focus on his first-team duties at Newcastle.

The 20-year-old has made 30 first-team appearances for The Magpies since the start of last season with the majority coming off the bench.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke was asked if he had received any assurances of Anderson’s commitment to the Scotland national team as they push towards Euro 2024 qualification.

“No,” Clarke responded. “He just went home.

And when asked about a potential change of allegiance, Clarke added: “It is not something I can control. There’s not a lot I can do about it.”

According to The Telegraph, England have been monitoring Anderson as a player of interest as they look to bring him back into their youth set-up.

And England boss Gareth Southgate confirmed Anderson is a player ‘liked’ by the Three Lions set-up.

“We liked him and we do like him,” Southgate said. “We think he’s a player that’s doing really well.

“Obviously, he was called into their [Scotland] squad earlier in the week and I don’t know what the position is at the moment. I saw he’s pulled out.

“Let’s see, that’s something that John McDermott and others at our organisation will be picking up. He’s definitely a player we like.”

With the next international break taking place next month, Scotland may look to act quickly and hand Anderson another international call-up in a bid to tie him down to their national set-up.