Scotland manager Steve Clarke has left the door open for Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes to switch international allegiances from England ahead of the 2026 World Cup
Harvey Barnes has been in form for Newcastle (Image: Joris Verwijst/Getty Images)
Scotland manager Steve Clarke has admitted he would consider selecting Harvey Barnes for the World Cup, even though it could cause tension within the squad. Scotland are looking forward to their first World Cup in 28 years in Canada, the United States and Mexico and the possibility of calling up the Newcastle winger remains a talking point.
Barnes was born in Burnley and has one cap for England, earned in a friendly against Wales in 2020, but he remains eligible to represent Scotland through his grandparents. The 28-year-old knows that forcing his way into Thomas Tuchel’s squad is a long shot, given the fierce competition for places in attack, and has not ruled out switching allegiances.
He has seven goals and two assists in 23 appearances for Newcastle this season and would add to Scotland’s firepower. Clarke was clear that the ball is in Barnes’ court as the Tartan Army look forward to group games against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil next summer.
“Well, if he’s kept the door open, then the door’s open, so let’s see what happens,” he said. “It’s just one of those things that it’s probably too difficult to talk about because you don’t know what’s going to happen.
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“Maybe Harvey thinks he’s going to get picked for England. He’s in a really good vein of form at the moment so let’s see what happens. Obviously, people know I’m quite loyal to the players in the squad, that’s what we’ve built.
“We’ve tried to build that across the years, but there are always spaces. The squad size will be 26, which always gives at least three extra spaces to the normal 23-man squad. There’s always injuries and loss of form to take into account.”
Scotland trio Scott McTominay, Che Adams and Angus Gunn were all born in England, making the pathway obvious for Barnes. Asked by Sky Sports in November if the door has closed on playing for Scotland, he replied: “No, of course it’s not. I’ve obviously played for England, I know the eligibility side is still there.
Steve Clarke will take charge of Scotland at the World Cup next summer(Image: Ian MacNicol, Getty Images)
“So it’s hard to say either way. But like I said, there’s been no real chats or any sort of progression in that sense. It’s not something I’ve really put too much thought into.
“There’s always been the sort of talk about it. Especially recently, it’s not really something that’s been on my mind, nothing that’s really been spoke about. It was great seeing them get through [to the World Cup] and it was a crazy game.”
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