Elliot Anderson snubbing England for Scotland 'not a difficult decision' as Steve Clarke reveals exactly what he'll bring

As 60th birthday presents go Steve Clarke has been good to himself. And the entire country, for that matter.

Persuading a Newcastle United starlet who had been coveted by England to pin his colours to the Saltire might not matter too much in the here and now but, if Elliot Anderson reaches the heights many predict, he will be the gift that keeps on giving for years to come. The 20-year-old, born in Whitley Bay of Scottish grandparents, has yo-yoed between both youth set-ups and has decided to pledge his allegiance to Scotland, just as the likes of Scott McTominay did before him.

Clarke, who turns 60 today, is delighted. Rules about changing countries after being capped were relaxed in September 2020, meaning that even if Anderson plays against Cyprus next month, he could still switch to England if he plays fewer than three competitive internationals for Scotland before he is 21 and then doesn’t get another cap for another three years.

That’s an extremely unlikely scenario, given the potential of the powerfully built attacking midfielder, who has forced his way into Eddie Howe’s first team picture at Newcastle and is regarded as one of the best young players in England.

And Clarke himself has no doubt that Anderson is here to stay. He said: “I’m very pleased that he is committed. I don’t think it was such a difficult decision for him in the end. He knows we value him and how much we want him to be part of the squad.

“We’ve had good conversations and I know how much he wants to be involved with the squad, which is great. He hasn’t had a change of allegiance. He went to an England training camp and then played for Scotland U21s.

“You get to a certain age when he has a choice between Scotland and England. You have to weigh