2 weeks ago
The Southampton striker Ross Stewart has ended a four-year absence from world shot by being named successful nan Scotland squad for this summer’s World Cup.
Stewart’s fantabulous touch towards nan extremity of nan home play – nan 29-year-old scored 5 times successful 10 games arsenic Southampton progressed to nan playoff last – has prompted Steve Clarke to adhd him to his 26-man party. A substitute quality successful a Nations League crippled against Armenia marks nan past clip Stewart donned Scotland colours.
“Ross was successful my squad a fewer years ago,” Clarke said. “He has had a unspeakable tally of injury. He has deed a rich | vein of shape since January, large goals successful large games. He has shown he tin people from nan bench. It was a fewer years agone but Ross fitted successful very good wrong nan group. You request bully relationships wrong nan group. It is important we person that.”
Clarke has done small other by measurement of alteration to a squad which has served him well. Craig Gordon is named among 3 goalkeepers, aged 43 and contempt wounded importantly curtailing his engagement pinch Hearts this season.
Scotland's World Cup squad
ShowGoalkeepers: Craig Gordon, Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly
Defenders: Grant Hanley, Jack Hendry, Aaron Hickey, Dom Hyam, Scott McKenna, Nathan Patterson, Anthony Ralston, Andy Robertson, John Souttar, Kieran Tierney
Midfielders: Ryan Christie, Findlay Curtis, Lewis Ferguson, Ben Gannon-Doak, Billy Gilmour, John McGinn, Kenny McLean, Scott McTominay
Forwards: Ché Adams, Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst, Lawrence Shankland, Ross Stewart
“We person had Craig monitored, we person had bully reports backmost shape Hearts,” said Clarke. “I sent [the goalkeeping coach] Chris Woods to watch him train astatine Hearts. He deserves to beryllium there.”
At nan different extremity of nan property scale, nan 19-year-old Findlay Curtis has been called up acknowledgment to an awesome indebtedness astatine Kilmarnock from Rangers.
“When you are naming a squad for an arena arsenic large arsenic a World Cup it takes a toll,” Clarke said. “You deliberation a batch astir it. This is simply a group of players who understand really to suffice for awesome tournaments – this is our third. Hopefully nan acquisition of nan boys will travel to nan fore.”
Lennon Miller, Oli McBurnie and Ross McCrorie are among those to miss out. Scotland’s World Cup run kicks disconnected against Haiti successful Boston connected 13 June. They past look Morocco successful nan aforesaid metropolis earlier travelling to Miami to return connected Brazil. Scotland will play pre-tournament friendlies against Curaçao and Bolivia, nan second successful New Jersey.
