Oliver Burke: England tried to pinch me from Scotland
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Burke, who recently became Scotland’s most expensive ever player, was told England had enquired about his availability when he was away on international duty with Gordon Strachan’s squad.
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Born in Kirkcaldy, Burke and his mother moved to Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire when he was still an infant, and he would have been eligible to represent England had he wished to do so.
The £13 million man would still have been able to change his allegiances until he made his competitive debut against Malta last month, but Burke had long since picked the nation of his birth.
He told The Guardian: “There was nothing direct but I did hear when I was away with the senior squad for the first time that they didn’t want me to play for Scotland.
“I was like: ‘No way!’ I can’t change – who does that? I love playing for Scotland; it’s my country, it’s where I was born, and every time I wear the badge it’s a dream come true – goosebumps. They did try a little cheeky one but it was never going to happen.”
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