Steve Clarke and Scotland blow as England-born £30m man closes door on future call-ups

Elliot Anderson, a midfielder for Nottingham Forest, has said that he will not be returning to Scotland in the future.

Having represented Scotland at all levels from Under-16 to Under-21, Anderson was first called up to the senior squad in September of last year for games against England and Cyprus. However, he had to pull out of two training sessions due to an injury.
It was later revealed, though, that the 21-year-old—who was born in England but has a Scottish grandmother—was reconsidering playing for Scotland and needed more time to think things through.

Anderson made his debut in Friday night’s goalless draw against Northern Ireland. Anderson, who transferred to Forest from Newcastle United for £30 million this summer, has since been called up to the England Under-21 team.

And Anderson has now declared that he has no intention of going back to the Scotland setup, which is a blow to Tartan Army and Steve Clarke. Instead, moved by the emotion of donning the Three Lions jersey, he has sworn allegiance to England.

Is this the last choice made? Yes, Anderson said. “I envision myself as an England player. Being English and Scottish made it difficult. I hope I made the right choice because I’ve been trying to decide on it for a while.

“It’s not working.”

Not all of the England Under-21 team abandoned Scotland, including Anderson. Born in Scotland, but raised in England, Middlesbrough’s Hayden Hackney executed a similar backflip the previous year after competing for Scotland’s Under-21 team.