England player gives his stance on whether he is switching allegiance to Scotland

He has been strongly linked after The Tartan Army qualified for the World Cup

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Scotland secured automatic qualification for the North American tournament with a dramatic 4-2 victory over Denmark at Hampden Park on Tuesday evening, thanks to brilliant strikes from former Premier League stars Kieran Tierney and Scott McTominay.

Napoli star McTominay is without doubt the nation's most important player, even though he was actually born outside of Scotland.

Incredibly Steve Clark could see his squad bolstered by the addition of another English-born Premier League star.

Newcastle United's 27-year-old forward Harvey Barnes may have been born in Burnley, but he still qualifies to play for Scotland through his maternal grandparents .

Now, in the latest news, Harvey Barnes has spoken out about these links after being interviewed by Sky Sports' Keith Downie.

Taking to X, the journalist wrote: "After Scotland’s World Cup triumph last night, I was straight on the road to Newcastle for a pre-arranged interview with Harvey Barnes today.

"Thought I’d do the honourable thing and ask him if he’d be up for a Scotland World Cup call … he’s eligible through his Scottish grandparents.

"Sounds like there’s a chance:

“It’s not something I’ve really spoken about or put thought into recently. There’s always been talk about it and a while ago there was bits and bobs about it. But recently it’s not cropped up.

“It was great to see them win and get through last night, it was a crazy game, and I’m sure everyone in Scotland enjoyed themselves.

“Is it closed off? No, of course it’s not. I’ve obviously played for England and I know the eligibility side of it is still there so it’s hard to say either way but there’s been no real chats or progression in that sense.”

Well, that certainly does sound like the switch remains on the cards.

According to FIFA rules, so long as a player hasn't earned a cap in a professional game, they're allowed to switch to another nation.

Barnes' solitary England appearance came in a friendly.

Barnes' Newcastle teammate Matt Target is in a similar position and could also switch to Scotland.

It remains to be seen if Barnes or Targett opt to make the change in time for next summer.

Former Leicester City star Harvey Barnes has four goals and two assists for the Magpies so far this season.