Newcastle United winger Harvey Barnes may be about to switch his international allegiance.
According to The Times, Newcastle United forward Harvey Barnes is considering declaring his international allegiance to Scotland, despite having already been capped once at senior level by England.
Barnes is said to be open minded about making the switch, with Scotland on the verge of securing qualification for Euro 2024. What’s more, the 25-year-old, even in good form for Newcastle, would struggling to establish himself in Gareth Southgate’s England plans in time to make the squad for that tournament.
With the likes of Raheem Sterling, James Maddison, Jack Grealish, and Marcus Rahsford, amongst others, all vying for involvement in that part of the pitch for England, the odds are against Barnes getting a look in.
Meanwhile, Scotland boss Steve Clarke is a huge admirer of Barnes and the Newcastle man would stand a great chance of inclusion in his squad for the tournament. St James’ Park teammate Elliot Anderson has himself just declared his allegiance to the Scots.
Whatever choice Barnes makes could have a huge impact on the rest of his playing career.
Barnes determined to impress Scotland and Newcastle
From a Newcastle perspective, having Barnes in genuine contention for a role at Euro 2024 is no bad thing. Eddie Howe will hope it inspires an even greater level of determination to impress at St James’ Park.
Barnes certainly has the capacity to be a star for Scotland, as well as Newcastle. The left-winger’s pace, directness, and finishing ability make him a threat to any team, and Howe will be expecting big things from the player he shelled out £39 million to prise away from Leicester City this summer.
Barnes made a bight start to life on Tyneside. The £80,000-a-week forward scored on his debut for the club with a late strike against Aston Villa. However, he has so far been kept out of the starting XI by the form of Anthony Gordon.
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