While the international break has naturally slowed things down when it comes to all things Newcastle United, two players have been in the news.
Indeed, with England traveling to Scotland for a resumption of the oldest rivalry in world football, two Newcastle players who won’t be involved have hit headlines.
Elliot Anderson may have featured had he not pulled out of the Tartan Army squad, while Gareth Southgate has admitted England remain keen on the 20-year-old.
Then there’s Harvey Barnes.
The forward has played under Southgate for England but that solitary cap came back in 2020 and recent reports suggest he’s switching allegiance to Scotland.
Now, Steve Clarke has provided an update.
Steve Clarke says he’s not spoken to Harvey Barnes in months
Clarke stressed that the ball was in the player’s court on the idea of him becoming a Scotland player.
Rather than try to convince players to join, the Scotland manager wants commitment and called on Barnes to reach out.
He admits he has spoken to Barnes, albeit not for months
“But that was a long time ago. I haven’t heard from him since. The next phone call won’t be from me. I’m not saying he has to call me, but after this camp I probably still have a couple of weeks of fishing and I will be playing a bit of golf and getting ready for the October games.”
Now or never for Barnes
Given England’s options on the left wing, it’s increasingly difficult to imagine Barnes getting back into the squad.
Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, James Maddison, Raheem Sterling and Jarrod Bowen could surely all be considered options ahead of him as potential left-wingers.
With that in mind, it might be time for Barnes to get back in contact with Clarke. Leave it too long and perhaps the Scots will move on, particularly with the European Championships so close.