YOU SIXTY THANG

The gift keeps on giving for Clarkey as his big birthday bash serves up perfect present of one of England's brightest talents saying 'yes' to Scotland and jumping on the bus that's getting ready for Germany

-  DAVID MCCARTHY

AS 60th birthday presents go Steve Clarke has been good to himself.

And the entire country, for that matter.

Persuading a Newcastle United starlet who had been coveted by England to pin his colours to the Saltire might not matter too much in the here and now but, if Elliot Anderson reaches the heights many predict, he will be the gift that keeps on giving for years to come.

The 20-year-old, born in Whitley Bay of Scottish grandparents, has yo-yoed between both youth set-ups but has decided to pledge his allegiance to Scotland, just as the likes of Scott McTominay did before him.

Clarke, who turns 60 today, is delighted. Rules about changing countries after being capped were relaxed in September 2020, meaning that even if Anderson plays against Cyprus next month, he could still switch to England if he plays fewer than three competitive internationals for Scotland before he is 21 and then doesn't get another cap for another three years.

That's an extremely unlikely scenario, given the potential of the powerfully built attacking midfielder, who has forced his way into Eddie Howe's first-team picture at Newcastle and is regarded as one of the best young players in England.

And Clarke himself has no doubt that Anderson is here to stay. He said: "I'm very pleased that he is committed. I don't think it was such a difficult decision for him in the end.

"He knows we value him and how much we want him to be part of the squad.