Forward wants to break back into England set-up
Harvey Barnes has turned down the chance to play for Scotland, head coach Steve Clarke has revealed.
Clarke made a fresh attempt to lure in-form Newcastle United forward Barnes across the border ahead of this summer’s finals in the Americas, but the national team boss confirmed on Thursday evening that the 28-year-old’s allegiance will remain with England.
Barnes has been capped once by England, in a friendly against Wales in 2020, but qualifies for Scotland through his maternal grandparents and due to FIFA rules would have been able to defect because his sole cap came in a non-competitive fixture.
Harvey Barnes has declined the chance to play for Scotland.placeholder image
Harvey Barnes has declined the chance to play for Scotland. | AFP via Getty Images
Barnes spoke earlier this season on the matter and confirmed he was aware of the eligibility for Scotland and it is understood Clarke revisited the situation after talks earlier in the forward’s career. But after the Nations League draw, in which Scotland were pitted against Switzerland, Slovenia and North Macedonia, Clarke admitted defeat in snaring Barnes for the World Cup.
The Magpies hitman, who has scored 12 goals in all competitions this season, will now look to force his way into England manager Thomas Tuchel’s squad for the World Cup.
On the Barnes matter, Clarke told BBC Radio 5Live: “It’s the perennial question, everybody keeps asking me about it. This time I can say for sure, Harvey is going to concentrate on trying to play for England. He’s not going to come to Scotland. You can put that one out there.”
Barnes question ‘doesn’t need to be asked again’
When pressed if that decision is definitive, Clarke replied: “Yep. Nobody needs to ask me about it any more and nobody needs to ask Harvey. He can make his decision and we move on.”
Clarke also divulged that Scotland’s base for the World Cup will be Charlotte, North Carolina. They face Haiti and Morocco in Boston and then travel to Florida to complete their Group C schedule against Brazil in Miami.
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“We’ve secured Charlotte as a base for a team,” said Clarke. “The MLS facilities are very good. The hotel that FIFA wanted to put us in wasn’t quite so good, so we’ve managed to secure an alternative in the city, which will be good. The lads will enjoy it. It’s a good base, it’s a city that is not overly busy. We look forward to working out of there.
“We’re just trying to finalise our last friendly in America before the tournament.”
On the Nations League draw, Clarke added: “We knew whoever we got, it was going to be difficult. The teams are evenly matched. It’s been a good competition for us. We understand the benefit. We expect difficult matches.”