AT one point, Elliot Anderson was pinpointed as one of Scotland’s next big hopes.
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Now, he’s about to make his debut for ENGLAND.
Anderson, 22, is eligible to represent both England and Scotland.
And at different points, it looked like BOTH countries had the upper hand in getting him to represent them.
Born in Whitley Bay in the north of England, Anderson was brought up in the region and joined the Newcastle United academy as a kid.
He spent 14 years with his boyhood club, leaving last year in a bumper £35million deal for Nottingham Forest.
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Having been largely a bit-part player for the Toon, Anderson has become an absolute star at Forest.
His form has earned him a first England senior call-up and he’s in line for a debut against Andorra this weekend.
An appearance in that World Cup qualifier would signify a competitive debut and it would end any hopes once and for all of Anderson ever playing for Scotland.
Those hopes, in truth, have been dashed for a long time.
Anderson has Scottish lineage through a Glasgow-born grandmother and from 2018 until 2022, he played for the national youth teams of Scotland.
He was capped from under-16 level all the way up to under-21s.
In August 2023, Anderson was called-up to the senior Scotland squad by Steve Clarke for the first – and only – time.
He reported for duty and pulled on the Scotland training kit to train with the rest of the squad.
However, Anderson withdrew from the squad before a ball was kicked.
While an injury knock was given as the reason, it was also thought Anderson was still weighing-up his international future.
Barely a year later, he was called-up to the England under-21 setup for the first time and became a regular, winning 12 caps.
Fast-forward to now, and he’s almost certain to become a full England international.
Speaking ahead of his senior England bow, Anderson insists he has no regrets over the decision he made.
He also confirmed he had to leave the Scotland camp as he needed more time to make a final decision.
Anderson said: “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.
“I didn’t want to dive into anything, so I’m really thankful I’ve done that now.”
Born and bred in England, Anderson confirmed he feels English.
He revealed that a growing belief he was good enough to represent England internationally helped sway his decision.
Anderson continued: “I’m definitely English. That’s where I see myself.
“It’s just I hadn’t really been called up to England throughout the ages when I was younger so I thought I’d take the opportunity to play and then once I got that belief that I thought I was good enough to play for England it hit me, and I focused on England.”
His move from has native north of England to Nottingham Forest was a big one at the time.
But it’s one that’s propelled Anderson to a big stage.
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He added: “It was a tough move at the time but ultimately, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here now if I didn’t make the move.
“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, and I don’t think I would be in this position now if I didn’t do it.”
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