The matter of international allegiance can take years for a player to decide.
You only need look as far as the likes of Harvey Barnes and Elliot Anderson who both still have the call to make between Scotland and England, for example, at the ages of 26 and 21 respectively.
For one young Rangers talent, though, he made a quick early decision with a mature head on his shoulders.
Following a lengthy tug of war between Scotland and the United States, it’s the Scottish FA who can breathe a sigh of relief.
Young, highly-rated talent Alexander Smith has reportedly opted to play for Scotland moving forward in his career despite being eligible for both countries.
The Daily Record claim the 16-year-old has made the decision to join up with the under-17s outfit after he was called into the squad and he obliged with a firm yes as his answer.
He has played for both sides in his early career but now has seemingly given the green-light to the Scots to make use of his talents in the future.
Alexander Smith has chosen Scotland over USA for his call-up
That means he will line up for the teen squad for upcoming fixtures against Northern Ireland in Belfast and then Lithuania and Republic of Ireland in qualifying matches.
The attacking midfielder will, as per the international set-up rules from FIFA, will have the opportunity in the future to revisit his decision despite matches with the 17s being considered competitive fixtures.
Rangers kid Smith was an Arsenal transfer target for their academy
That is so long as he does not play a certain number of competitive games at full level for Steve Clarke’s squad – or whichever coach is in situ at that point.
The USA also had training plans in a camp next month coming up. They will face off in a glamour friendly against Lionel Messi’s inter Miami in preparation for their CONCACAF qualifiers.
They, too, are considered competitive fixtures.
