'Cairney could play for England'

The classy playmaker is has featured twice for the 'Tartan Army', but with both games being friendlies he retains the right to switch allegiance to the country of his birth.

Gareth Southgate's search for more technical players in midfield has lead to suggestions that Cairney could be in line for a call-up and whilst Jokanovic doesn't know if that is something that would interest his star man, he is adamant Cairney has the quality to perform well for either nation.

"He is definitely a quality player," Jokanovic said. "His choice at the moment is Scotland but there is a possibility he could switch in another direction.

"I believe he is a useful player for many coaches. For me, he is useful for both the Scottish and English national coaches too.

"He showed his quality over the last few seasons. Unfortunately for him, he didn't start this Premier League season with enough good luck, with this injury situation with him.

"Soon he will be in his highest level."

The topic of international allegiances is a popular one at the moment with Declan Rice currently weighing up whether to represent the Republic of Ireland or England, but Jokanovic believes such decisions should be left up to the players themselves.

"This is a private decision," he explained. "I don't want to involve myself in this kind of decision. He is a free man for the choice which he believes is best for him."