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Son of former England striker switches allegiance to bitter rivals Scotland and reveals his father’s reaction


GEORGE HIRST has officially switched allegiances to Scotland and revealed what former England star father David has said about it.

Ipswich star Hirst, 26, was a late addition to Scotland’s squad for their upcoming Nations League play-off against Greece.

George Hirst is ready for his Scotland debut after switching allegiancesCredit: Kenny Ramsay
The ace’s grandfather was Scottish but dad David played for EnglandCredit: Getty

The forward has four goals in 20 games under Kieran McKenna this season, including one against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

And Hirst, who qualifies through his grandfather, is now looking forward to potentially making his international debut this month.

However, the ace had to change his allegiances from England to Scotland for the call-up to happen.

But by playing for Steve Clarke’s side, it saw Hirst miss out on the opportunity to follow ex-Sheffield Wednesday hitman David, who played three times for England.

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But Hirst Jr has no regrets about choosing to play for Scotland – and he has also revealed what his dad said on the matter.

Hirst said: “I’m delighted, it’s a bit of a dream come true to be honest.

“The chance to go and play international football… my grandad was Scottish and it’s an opportunity to go and make him proud.

“I’ve known for a while that I could play for Scotland and that’s always been a big aim of mine.

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“I’ve been asked about it in the media over the past year and I’ve tried to bat it off, saying that I’m just going to focus on Ipswich.

“But if I’m being brutally honest it’s always been in the back of my mind.”

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Hirst has been a regular for Ipswich this seasonCredit: Getty

On dad David’s response, Hirst added: “I mentioned it to him and he said, ‘Go and do it – your grandad would be very proud of you going to play for Scotland’ and that was a big thing for me.

“He said to me his greatest honour in his career was playing international football and he said, ‘You’ve got that opportunity now, go and give it your best shot’.”


Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk


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