Kieran Trippier reveals talks with Newcastle United teammate over international future

Kieran Trippier admits he has spoken to Newcastle United teammate Elliot Anderson about his international future as he weighs up a potential U-turn.

The 20-year-old was called up by Scotland for the first time for the Euro 2024 qualifier in Cyprus and the 150th anniversary match against England at Hampden tomorrow night but suffered an unspecified injury in training last Tuesday.

With Anderson still waiting for his first senior cap, it leaves the door open for England to swoop back in. Anderson had played for Scotland at multiple youth levels before he switched to England at under-19 level. He returned to play for the Scots at under-21.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has revealed he ‘likes’ the former Bristol Rovers loanee but Trippier says the decision is ultimately up to him.

“As the gaffer said before in pre-season he’s been unbelievable,” said Trippier. “It was good for him last year to stay with us and not go out on loan again to gain that experience.

“He’s a young lad with great potential. Obviously, we’ve had talks but like Gareth said before he went away with Scotland. Ultimately, it’s his decision.”

As well as Anderson, Harvey Barnes is also considering swapping his allegiance from England to Scotland. Barnes was last capped by England almost three years ago but remains eligible to play for Scotland through his maternal grandparents.

Speaking at the same press conference as Trippier, Southgate said: “Harvey has played for us. We’ve got a lot of competition in that area of the pitch so he’s a player we’re always monitoring. He’s a player we like a lot.

“With Elliot, again he’s a player that has progressed really well. We’ve previously spoken with him but of course he was named in the Scotland squad so I assumed that was that.

“I thought he had an excellent pre-season with Newcastle, you could that evolution he has as a young player and that potential he’s got. I know Newcastle rate him very highly.

“I don’t know the answer to the ultimate question for either player but there are going to be more and more of these situations. There are so many players with dual nationality now. It’s very complicated for every country and sometimes you can’t offer the player something as quickly as they’d like.

“We’ve benefitted from it and we’ve lost players because of it. That’s always going to be the case.”