ANDY DRIVER is sacrificing plenty to represent England this week: a holiday in Barbados with his girlfriend, a long summer of recuperation from the injury that prematurely ended his season, and the chance to earn more full caps with Scotland than he ever could with the country of his birth.
If the young Hearts winger so much as steps on to the field as a substitute in the European Under-21 Championship, which starts in Sweden tomorrow, any prospect of donning the dark blue in years to come will be dead and buried.
Driver, of cours
e, has been hailed as the man most likely to benefit, if that is the right word, from an SFA proposal to change the eligibility rules. Under the governing body's current guidelines, players are only entitled to represent Scotland through birth or bloodline, but the plan is to broaden the net so that it includes foreigners, with a British passport, who have been educated in this country for more than five years. Gordon Smith, its chief executive, says he has reached an agreement with the other home nations, and now awaits approval by FIFA.
Oldham-born Driver, who moved to Edinburgh when he was 11, would qualify under the new regulations, but isn't willing to wait for their ratification. He sees this week's showpiece event in Scandinavia as the opportunity of a lifetime, which he would be foolish to swap for some hypothetical scenario. "If I play in this tournament, I will never be able to play for Scotland, but you have to remember that, as the rules stand, I can't play for them anyway. The Scotland thing is only relevant if they change the rules. Why would I consider (not playing here] just in case the rules change?"
Having turned out for Scotland schoolboys, and developed into one of the SPL's best young players, he has become something of a cause célèbre among those supporting change, even if none of the hype was his doing. In the Swedish coastal town of Varberg, where he and the rest of England's under-21 squad are based, he doesn't sound like a man yearning to be loved by the Tartan Army. "I have been the only English player in the Scottish league who this story applies to so all the attention has been on me but, at the end of the day, I am English, with no Scottish blood in me. I'm delighted to be here, representing England. The aim was always for me to be here."
This, after all, is a prestigious tournament in its own right. In the England squad seeking to go one better than two years ago, when they were pipped in the semi-finals by Holland, Driver is joined by some of Europe's most exciting young players, from Arsenal's Theo Walcott to Gabriel Agbonlahor of Aston Villa and Manchester City's Micah Richards. An injury to the Tottenham Hotspur winger, Aaron Lennon, effectively opened the door to the sought-after Hearts player who was a surprise inclusion in Stuart Pearce's 23-man squad.
UEFA's eight-team event is also a timely opportunity for Driver to prove himself in another environment. Hearts' most valuable asset is not desperate to leave Tynecastle, but with Setanta's financial turmoil threatening to plunge Scottish football into crisis, he might have to. His long-term suitors, including Burnley and Coventry City, could do with a gentle reminder that his influence extends beyond the SPL.
With Bruno Aguiar and Christos Karipidis among those to have left Hearts already this summer, Driver cannot guarantee the fans that he will stay for another year. "At the moment, with the financial thing, I'm not sure. I have said on numerous occasions that I am very happy with Hearts, but this tournament gives me a chance to put myself in a wide open arena. You never know what is going to happen. I don't know whether Hearts want to sell me. We'll see what happens over the summer, but it would have to be a very good offer for me to leave."
The European Under-21 Championship has been the launch pad for many a successful career. While no one would pretend that Raul, Luis Figo and Fabio Cannavaro would not have made it on their own, it is probably no coincidence that Aston Villa's Ashley Young made his full England debut just a few months after the tournament of two years ago. While Driver cannot claim to be in the same bracket as those illustrious names, he plans to use the competition as a stepping stone, to another level, another league, and maybe even a full England cap further down the line. "I have never been the kind of person to set myself goals like that, but it's something I dream of," he admits.
His first Under-21 cap would be an achievement in itself. Although short of match fitness, he is free of the pain that came with a nerve injury in his back, and desperate to take part in Sweden. If he doesn't figure in tomorrow's opener against Finland, there are at least two more matches, against Spain on Thursday and Germany a week tomorrow. "I haven't been given any indication yet, but I'm told that they used every single player in the last tournament so it's up to me to show in training that I am worth taking a chance on."
It should have happened already. When Lee Cattermole was injured towards the end of England's 7-0 win against Azerbaijan on Monday, Pearce turned round to discover that he had no more outfield substitutes as his disposal. With Driver still unavailable, the coach threw on Peterborough United goalkeeper Joe Lewis as a makeshift striker. "Obviously, that would have been a really good chance to get my first cap, but it's gone now," says Driver. "I'm not going to get too down about it. I was never going to make that game, so all I can do is concentrate on the first match of the tournament. Maybe I'll get my chance then."
And if he doesn't, well, it won't be the end of the world. He admits that he didn't expect his first call-up to be for a major finals, the scale of which has taken him aback. "It's quite a big thing over here. There are signs everywhere, and the Swedes are taking it really seriously, which rubs off on the boys. I haven't been able to train much yet, but just watching the pace and touch of the players makes you realise that this is another level. If I don't get a game this week, it will still have been an experience. It will still have been worthwhile."
And he will still be eligible for Scotland, if the SFA has its way.
The full article contains 1148 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
