FORMER England winger Darren Anderton has revealed how he could have played for Scotland – and Rangers.

The 45-year-old is best known for playing in white, for over 300 times in a Spurs jersey and 30 times for his country.

Yet there was a moment when, at the age of just 16, Anderton could have switched allegiances to Scotland due to his dad, only to be told he wasn’t good enough.

He explains: “My dad Norman is Scottish and I actually went for trials as a 16-year-old and Andy Roxburgh was in charge, but I was told I wasn’t good enough. It worked out fine in the end because I regard myself as English and I went on to play for England.  

“But as a kid I was very fortunate. I had a great dad and always wanted to do good things for him. I played against Scotland at Euro ‘96 and it was strange to see my dad and mum up in the stand at Wembley going mental because they were sat next to Rod Stewart. 

“I gave my dad John Collins shirt after the Euro ‘96 game, so he was happy.”

Almost a decade on from providing Paul Gascoigne with the pass to score THAT goal against Scotland and upon leaving White Hart Lane, the midfielder almost returned to his family roots in Scotland once more.

Anderton added: “At one point there was a chance for me to come and play for Rangers. 

“Unfortunately it didn’t happen which was a bit disappointing because when I see their support it’s amazing. I’ve played in a lot of charity games, the most recent being at Fleetwood for Fernando Ricksen in March and it was incredible.”