Holsgrove will always be a Scot at heart
Jordan Holsgrove left Scotland for England when he was just seven months old.
But no matter how far the Under-21 star roams, escaping his roots is proving impossible.
Holsgrove was born in Edinburgh while his dad – former Reading and Stoke City midfielder, Paul – played for Hibs in 1999.
It wasn’t long before the beautiful game took his old man back down south.
But Holsgrove Junior, who is gearing up for Scotland’s Under-21 clash with Croatia on Tuesday, has found that whether he’s at home or on the training ground, Scottish connections are popping up everywhere.
“Scotland is definitely part of me,” said the young Reading star, currently on-loan with Spanish side, Atletico Baleares.
“I was born here. My brother has a different dad to me. But he’s Scottish, and my brother lives in Scotland, so I’ve always got a link.
“Scotland has a place in my heart.”
It has a place in his professional life, too.
After bonding with Charlie Adam while practising free-kicks at Reading in pre-season, Holsgrove jumped at the chance of a loan move to Spain for the season.
Without any Spanish in his locker, communication might have been a stumbling block.
But, incredibly, the youngster found himself sharing a dressing room with a pair of players for whom Scotland is familiar territory.
“The coach doesn’t actually speak English,” Holsgrove continued.
“But there are a couple of players there who were at Dundee – Arturo and Jon Aurtenetxe,” he said.
“Jon can actually speak good English, so he helps me a lot.
“I’ll have to learn Spanish, and to come home being able to speak another language will be fantastic.
“I grew up watching Spanish players like Xavi and Iniesta, and admired them. So it was at the back of my mind that if the opportunity came to go to Spain, I’d take it.
“I thought it could be a good move for me, and suit my style of play, so I’ve gone for it.
“The temperature makes the game a lot different. It’s more a slowtempo build-up, then suddenly someone will make a pass and everyone turns high-tempo.
“We’re all getting in and around the ball, then it will slow down again. It’s different, but I like it.”
The young Scots kicked off their Euro 2021 qualifying campaign with a comfortable 2-0 win over San Marino on Thursday night.
Croatia promises to be a tougher test, but Holsgrove – who picked up the Man of the Match award against San Marino – is ready.
“I heard the award being announced and it gave me a buzz, especially on my competitive debut for the Under-21s,” he said
“It was fantastic to have a good performance like that. But it’s on to the next one now.”