Barnet winger Luke Gambin thought Martin Allen was pulling his leg when he told him the Maltese national team had enquired about his availability and says international football is an opportunity he could not turn down.

The Sutton-born 22-year-old qualifies through his grandfather and in June participated in a five-day training camp with the Maltese national side.

Although he is not yet eligible to play for Malta, who are currently 149th in the FIFA rankings, Gambin is keen to represent the tiny nation and the process of getting Maltese citizenship is underway.

He said: “The gaffer called me into his office one morning and to be honest I thought he was playing a game with me.

“But, no, it was all true and when I scored two against Dover Athletic last season they saw my name ‘Gambin’ on Sky Sports News which is of Maltese descent.”

Gambin continued: “I went away in the summer to a training camp to meet the Maltese squad, who were really nice people, and really enjoyed it.

“It is a work in progress so I will have to see, but I am hoping to do well and see what comes of it. It is a great opportunity and I don’t really want to miss out on it.

“It is a great opportunity for me and I would not like to miss out on it. But my priority is Barnet Football Club and I enjoy playing here.”

An added incentive for the former AFC Wimbledon wideman is Malta’s World Cup 2018 qualifying draw which has pitched them against England.

Malta will come to Wembley Stadium to face Roy Hodgson’s side in their second qualifier in October but Gambin won’t get too carried away about the prospect of facing the likes of Wayne Rooney, Raheem Sterling and Jordan Henderson.

“It is a bit far off if I am honest,” he admitted. “That would be a great opportunity I would not want to miss out on; I will just have to wait and see.”

Click here to read Martin Allen's thoughts on the performance of Gambin in Tuesday's win over Northampton Town.