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England boss Gareth Southgate stressed Harvey Barnes is \u201ca player we like a lot\u201d while also emphasising the competition he faces amid talk of the winger possibly switching allegiance to Scotland.<\/p>\n
Barnes is reported to be considering a switch three years on from winning his sole England cap to date in a friendly against Wales.<\/p>\n
At a press conference ahead of Tuesday\u2019s friendly clash with Scotland at Hampden Park, Southgate said of the 25-year-old: \u201cHe\u2019s obviously a player who has played for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of competition in that area of the pitch. He\u2019s a player we\u2019re always monitoring and he\u2019s a player we like a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
Southgate was asked about on a potential swap of allegiances for Barnes and Newcastle team-mate Elliot Anderson, who has played for both countries at youth level and received a call-up to the Scotland squad last month, only to be forced to withdraw due to injury.<\/p>\n
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Southgate said: \u201cBoth very good players. With Elliot, again I think he\u2019s a player that has progressed really well. We\u2019ve previously spoken with him, but of course he was named in the squad here, so assumed that was that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he had an excellent pre-season with Newcastle, you could see that evolution that he\u2019s got as a young player and the potential he\u2019s got. I know Newcastle rate him very highly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know is the answer to the ultimate question for either player, but there are going to be more and more of these sorts of situations.<\/p>\n
\nHe\u2019s a player we\u2019re always monitoring and he\u2019s a player we like a lot<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
\u201cThere are so many players with dual or triple nationality now, it is very complicated for every country, and sometimes you can\u2019t offer the player something as quickly as they\u2019d like.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ve benefited from it and lost players because of it, and I think that\u2019s always going to be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Southgate was joined at the press conference by Newcastle full-back Kieran Trippier, who said of Anderson: \u201cAs the gaffer said, in pre-season he\u2019s been unbelievable. It was good for him last year to stay with us and not go out on loan again, to gain that experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great lad with great potential. We\u2019ve had talks, but he went away with Scotland. That\u2019s his decision, it is ultimately up to him.\u201d<\/p>\n