Premier League striker explains dad's reaction after switching from England to Scotland

Premier League forward George Hirst has made the switch from England to Scotland, and the 26 year old has now shared his father's response to the decision. Hirst played for England at under-17 to under-20 level, but has accepted a senior call-up for Scotland.

Hirst is eligible to play for Scotland through his paternal grandfather and was a last-minute addition to the squad for their Nations League play-off matches against Greece after Lyndon Dykes sustained a calf injury.

David Hirst, George's father, who earned three caps for England between 1991 and 1992, has been supportive of his son's choice. "His first words were 'go and do it - your grandad would be very proud of you for going to play for Scotland'," the Ipswich star disclosed.

"He said the greatest honour in his career was playing international football, so give it your best shot and see where it takes you. It's a bit of a dream come true.

"It is a chance to play international football and my grandad was Scottish and it's an opportunity to go and make him proud.", reports the Mirror.

Hirst also mentioned that representing Scotland had been on his mind for a while.

He continued: "It's always been a big aim of mine. I've been asked about it by the media at Ipswich over the last year and I've tried to bat it off as I was just going to focus on Ipswich.

"But if I'm brutally honest, it's always been on the back of my mind. Steve [Clarke] dropped me a text and asked for a phone call and we spoke for five or 10 minutes - he wanted to know if I was interested in playing for Scotland.

"I went to speak to my partner and my family about it, but straight away I said 'yeah'. It is an opportunity I can't turn down."

Hirst has become a mainstay for Ipswich this season, netting four goals in 20 outings in all competitions. With Scotland's assistant manager John Carver's eyes on him, expectations are high that Hirst will add a "different dimension" to the national team's forward line.

"We've been monitoring him for months," admitted Carver, revealing the depth of their interest. "We lost Lyndon Dykes to injury and he's a little bit similar to Lyndon. What a goal he scored at the weekend and what a way to leave your club football and come to international football.

"He's an intelligent lad, he's bright, he loves football and he's fitted in straight away. He brings us a different dimension.

"I had a good chat with him on Sunday night and we spoke about a number of things, but most importantly he's a good player and he certainly brings something to the squad."

Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.