Elliot Anderson says he is “really thankful” he rejected the chance to play for Scotland against England as he prepares for a possible full England debut this week.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder withdrew from the Scotland squad ahead of a friendly against England in August 2023 and later switched his allegiance to the country of his birth.
The former Newcastle academy player qualified for Scotland through his grandmother and played for the nation at youth and under-21s level before going on to help England win last summer’s under-21s European Championships.
He is now in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad ahead of World Cup qualifiers against Andorra on Saturday and Serbia next Tuesday and says he always felt English.
“I went away with the Scotland team and I left camp after a few days and decided I just needed more time to make my decision, really,” said the 22-year-old.
“I didn’t want to dive into anything so I’m really thankful I’ve done that now. I’m definitely English. That’s where I see myself. It was just that I hadn’t really been called up to England throughout the age groups when I was younger so I thought I’d take the opportunity to play.
“Once I got that belief that I thought I was good enough to play for England it hit me, and I focused on England.”
Tyneside-born Anderson left Newcastle for Forest last summer, having first joined his boyhood club at the age of eight.
He made 37 Premier League appearances last season as Forest finished seventh in the table, and he believes the move has helped to accelerate his England career.
“Definitely it was sort of a tough move at the time, but I think ultimately I probably wouldn’t be sitting here now if I didn’t make the move,” he said.
“I think sometimes you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone and believe in yourself, which is what I’ve done. I believed I was ready to go and play in the Premier League every week, so yeah, I don’t think I would be in this position now if I didn’t do it.”
If he makes his England debut in the next week, Anderson will extend the success story of Wallsend Boys Club, the Tyneside-based junior club which has produced a string of successful professional players – including former England internationals Alan Shearer, Peter Beardsley and Michael Carrick.
The club also allowed a young Anderson to get advice from England legend Paul Gascoigne, who had a relative playing alongside Anderson in Wallsend’s teams.
“His nephew, I think it was, played for my team throughout the ages so I sort of got to speak to him a few times through my upbringing, so that was good,” said Anderson.
“Him being an England legend and just being able to to speak to him and sort of learn the game from him was great. I probably didn’t realise it at the time, but now it’s an incredible thing really.
“I am very proud. It’s a top boys club in the north east and I think you can see that from all the professional footballers who have come through Wallsend.
“For a while there hasn’t really been another Wallsend player to make England, so it’s a really proud moment and I’m just hoping I get that cap.”
(Clive Mason/Getty Images)