Bristol Rovers favourite caught in a tug-of-war between England and Scotland

Bristol Rovers loan favourite Elliot Anderson is at the heart of an international tug-of-war.

The 20-year-old has become an established member of Newcastle United’s first team after a successful loan spell at the Memorial Stadium.

Anderson, the scorer of the goal that clinched the Gas’ promotion to League One in 2022, now has a huge decision to make regarding his future.

He was called up to Scotland’s senior squad last week but withdrew because of an injury picked up last week. Scotland boss Steve Clarke did admit that he did not seek assurance from Anderson in regards to his call-up, and said that it is something that he could not control.

Anderson’s withdrawal from the squad meant that he remains uncapped at international level and remains eligible for both his country of birth and Scotland which is where his grandmother is from.

England manager Gareth Southgate meanwhile has broken his silence and is keen on Anderson representing the Three Lions. He encouraged those at the English FA to monitor the situation.

“We liked him, and we do like him,” said Southgate.

“We think he’s a player that’s doing really well. Obviously, he was called into their squad earlier in the week and I don’t know what the position is at the moment.

“I saw he’s pulled out. Let’s see, that’s something that John McDermott and others at our organisation will be picking up. He’s definitely a player we like.”

Anderson to date has represented Scotland at U16, U17, U18, and U21 levels, as well as turning out for England’s under-19 team.

If Anderson had been available this week, then he could have potentially been lining up for Scotland against England. England and Scotland meet at Hampden Park in a friendly on Tuesday, September 12. It is a fixture that celebrates the 150th anniversary of the first fixture between the two sides.

In other news, Luca Hoole captained Wales under-21's to a 5-0 win over Liechtenstein at Newport County's Rodney Parade on Friday afternoon. The 21-year-old is in action again with the Red Dragons, with Wales facing Lithuania at 4.00 pm on Tuesday. No other players at Rovers had been called up for international duty, but their match against Reading last Saturday was postponed.