Harvey Barnes is bang on Newcastle form and should be back on Scotland's agenda - if not for Euro 2024 then afterwards

Is it time for Scotland manager Clarke to test the water again?

A quick dip of the shoulder, a feint that left poor old Kalvin Phillips for dead and Scotland fans were dreaming again.

Come again? What has a Newcastle United player’s brilliant late winner for his side in a dramatic Premier League clash against West Ham on Saturday have to do with the Tartan Army? Well, not a lot as it stands – and more’s the pity. Because Harvey Barnes provided some other glimpses of what he can do on Tuesday night as Newcastle initially threatened to sweep Everton aside.

Eddie Howe's side had to be satisfied with a 1-1 draw in the end. However, Barnes was a lively presence wide on the left, following up his two-goal salvo against West Ham with a clever assist for Alexander Isak just 15 minutes in. Although the striker still had a lot to do, the measured lobbed pass into Isak's path was admired by spectators and commentators alike.

Harvey Barnes played for Newcastle last night against Everton.

He might have scored in the first and second half and set up Isak again with a chance that was cleared off the line by defender Vitaliy Mykolenko. Where might Newcastle be had Barnes been fit all season? The same question might be asked of Scotland, Steve Clarke's currently less-than-wondrous wingless wonders. Perhaps not fretting about heading towards Euro 2024 on the back of a worst run of results since the late 1990s, that’s where.

Of course, this involves a huge leap of imagination or, even, faith. Faith in what it’s been reported Barnes wanted to do is in fact what Barnes wants to do when it comes down to the nitty gritty. Does someone who was born in Burnley, Lancashire and who grew up in Countesthorpe, Leicestershire want to throw in his lot with Scotland?

Having Scottish grandparents means it's a realistic possibility in theory, even given the fact he's already been capped once by England against Wales. As this was a friendly match – it was a slightly hollow debut since no fans were allowed in to see it as per Covid restrictions – he is still permitted to change allegiance to Scotland.

That he was open to this switch was reported as far back as September by the Sunday Times and one would have to assume that Clarke – or at least those acting on his behalf – have checked in with the player.

Harvey Barnes found the net for Newcastle at the weekend.

There was of course one serious and unfortunate complication. A serious ankle injury ruled Barnes out between the end of September and February. Tuesday night was only his second start, although he looked remarkably up to speed against Everton while playing all 90 plus minutes.

Clarke has been fairly firm on the subject of left-field recruits pre Euro 2024 in recent months. Nothing doing, basically. Indeed, John Carver, his assistant, seemed to put it all to bed last month as he previewed the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland, although the fact they finished in defeats, with Scotland drawing a blank on both occasions, ought to be noted. But prior to these outcomes Carver stressed that he would be "very surprised" if someone came in from nowhere, adding that he was "sick of talking about (Anthony) Gordon and (Elliot) Anderson and all that lot".

Clarke might even regret opening the door in the first place when making the ill-fated decision to call up Elliot Anderson, Barnes’ Newcastle teammate, in September. It did make clear he’s not averse to seeking out new blood, and in the case of Anderson it was blood with a tartan hue. He had, after all, already represented Scotland under-age teams so it was a bitter blow when he withdrew from the squad for games against Cyprus and England last year after ‘suffering a knock’ in training.

Although it's never been explicitly stated it does seem as if that is it in terms of his Scotland ambitions, certainly pre and probably post Euros. Anderson, who also impressed against Everton in tandem with Barnes, has burned every bridge between Hexham and Hampden.

Barnes made his debut for England against Wales in 2020.

Even if Clarke could see it within himself to forgive and forget – and is there anything really to forgive if a young player takes fright following such an enormous decision? – the supporters, some of whom were not in favour of Anderson’s inclusion in the first place, would be harder to win over. Barnes might have worn the three lions already but he’d be easier to accept.

“We are not just having a squad for now but looking to build a squad that will carry us through not just the next tournament but the tournament after that and the tournament after that,” Clarke said at the time of the Anderson recruitment.

Barnes is only 26-years-old. He's in his prime. He’s already been valued at more than £35million after Newcastle paid Leicester way in excess of any current Scottish player’s price tag for his services. But it's now or never when it comes to his international prospects, with Gareth Southgate more inclined to hand debuts to Manchester United prospects such as Kobbie Mainoo than revive Barnes' England career.

Asked on Monday by Talksport co-host Jeff Stelling why Barnes should play for Scotland over England, Ally McCoist started with the “categoric” fact that he would start, before throwing in further blandishments such as the love he could expect to feel from the Tartan Army as well as delicacies such as Irn Bru and haggis (well, it was Talksport after all…).

The topic is back on the agenda and deserves serious discussion, especially with Uefa set to rule – as soon as Monday, in fact – on a proposal allowing all competing nations to name 26-player squads, as was the case at the last, Covid-affected Euros. Clarke and his fellow managers have been deliberating in the expectation it would revert to 23 players, meaning there’s less room for manoeuvre. Either way, with specific regard to Barnes, there’s little time whatever the outcome of next week’s Uefa workshop on the issue. Switching nationality is a complicated process. Scotland’s opening game against Germany is now just over 70 days away.

Whatever does or does not happen this summer, Scotland have a home Nations League fixture against Poland on September 5. It is their first-ever A League assignment having been promoted from the tier below last year and isn’t to be sniffed at.

Red tape might be one of the reasons why Barnes is an extreme outside bet for Euro 2024, along with Clarke’s understandably loyalty to those he has relied on to get there, but he could be recruited for afterwards.

Of course, this all hinges on one huge proviso. That Barnes wants to play for Scotland. On the last occasion that he spoke on the record about the subject, Clarke did not sound completely convinced that this was the case. Not specifically with regards to Barnes. He was talking more generally about all four Newcastle 'Scots', with Tino Livramento also eligible.

Gordon has since proved his point by describing the England debut he made just last month as "the best day of my life". Still, Barnes has remained tight-lipped on the speculation, understandably preferring to establish himself in his club side first. It’s clear he’s now well on the way to doing that.