Steve Clarke will name his final 26-man squad tomorrow ahead of Scotland’s first World Cup since 1998.
Historically Clarke has been loyal to his core of players, especially those who have qualified for three of the last four major tournaments after Scotland went over 20 years without making one prior to his arrival.
Here’s the men I think will be on the plane to the USA this summer, with some explanation as to why.
Goalkeepers: Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly, Scott Bain- Thankfully Bain’s injury doesn’t seem too serious, despite missing the end of the season he should be back for the World Cup. He’s certainly earned his seat on the plane after 39 appearances for Falkirk who secured sixth place on their return to the Premiership. As for the other two, they have a combined four appearances all season. If he hadn’t been injured there would have been a case for Craig Gordon, not only for his hand in Scotland qualifying against Denmark, but also as a reward for his excellent playing career.
Centrebacks: Scott McKenna, John Souttar, Jack Hendry, Dominic Hyam, Stephen Welsh- Whilst David Gray said it was “too early to tell” the extent of Grant Hanley’s injury, it didn’t look pretty so you’d imagine he’d be ruled out of the World Cup too. Hyam made 47 appearances this season as Wrexham pushed for the play-offs. As for Welsh, he’s coming off the best season of his career at Motherwell and probably warrants a call-up regardless of injuries.
Ryan Porteous could be an additional option. The ex-Hibs defender has only played one minute for the national team since his sending off in the EURO 2024 opener, but has enjoyed a promising start to the season at LAFC, even getting the Man of the Match award in a 3-0 win against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
Fullbacks: Andy Robertson, Kieran Tierney, Anthony Ralston, Aaron Hickey, Harry Milne- Hickey missed out on the last squad but replaces Nathan Patterson for me. Despite impressing in the Japan match, Patterson just hasn’t played enough minutes this season, whilst Hickey offers more versatility and has featured more. As for Milne, he’s been exceptional for Hearts this season and has shown he can play on either flank.
Midfielders: Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay, Lewis Ferguson, John McGinn, Lennon Miller, Ryan Christie, Kenny McLean–No surprises here.
Forwards: Lyndon Dykes, Che Adams, Findlay Curtis, Ben Gannon-Doak, Kieron Bowie, Lawrence Shankland- A lot has been made of Clarke’s loyalty to his players- so Adams and Dykes are no-brainers, especially with the latter missing EURO 2024. In my opinion, Shankland should be the leading #9 this summer. His consistency over the years can’t be matched by any other forward and he’s fresh off the back of a 20-goal campaign where Hearts nearly won the title.
Findlay Curtis has done well for Kilmarnock this season and one of Scotland’s most promising players Gannon-Doak is returning from injury just in time for the World Cup.
Personally, I’d take Bowie over George Hirst, who hasn’t impressed in a Scotland shirt for me. The Hellas Verona forward has scored four times since his move to Italy, which doesn’t jump out until you look further.
Since his debut, Verona have only scored seven goals, with over half coming from Bowie. He’s also only played 13 games, so he’s averaging a goal in just under every three games, which isn’t bad going for a side that was destined for relegation since his arrival.
Additionally, he netted nine times for Hibs prior to his January departure, so all-in-all it’s a respectable season in-front of goal for the forward. He’s also got experience playing out wide, which isn’t an area Scotland are blessed in, whilst he’s unlikely to operate on the wing at the World Cup, it’s an option that could be looked at if times get desperate.
In an interview earlier this month Steve Clarke said that his squad was more or less finalised, with only two spots left up for grabs. However, injuries to players such as Hanley and Tommy Conway may have shaken up the Scotland Boss’ thinking ahead of tomorrow’s 12pm announcement.
