Rangers wonderkid makes Scotland vs USA decision amid international tug of war as one nation 'wins fight'

Scotland have reportedly ‘won the fight’ with the USA to land Rangers wonderkid Alexander Smith after he accepted another call-up to the Under-17s squad.

The talented 16-year-old Ibrox prospect has played for both countries at youth level up to this point due to his dual-citizenship, but has been facing a tricky decision over which nation to commit to long-term. Now, according to the Daily Record, the attacking midfielder has made up his mind and decided to commit to his country of birth.

Smith - who signed his first professional contract with the Light Blues through until June 2027 earlier this summer despite transfer speculation over a move to the MLS or a Premier League club - was previously included in Brian McLaughlin’s squad for fixtures against Qatar and Croatia back in August. At the same time, he was listed as a squad player for the US in their friendly against the Czech Republic.

Smith is free to play for both nations until he receives his first full international cap. The talented teenager is now in line to feature for the young Scots against Northern Ireland in Belfast and then Lithuania and the Republic of Ireland at home in Euro qualifiers. Those are viewed as competitive games although Smith could still make an allegiance switch at a later date, providing he hasn’t played a certain number of competitive matches at senior level. The USA also had a training camp organised next month, with a glamour friendly against Inter Miami due to take place in preparation for their CONCACAF qualifiers, which are also deemed competitive fixtures.

Rangers boss Philippe Clement and club officials made securing Smith’s signature a ‘top priority’ in June, with Arsenal among a host of known clubs who had been tracking him for the some time.