Scotland boss Steve Clarke 'casts an eye' on World Cup hopeful as transfer links emerge for Hearts star
Scotland boss in attendance as Hearts secure mammoth victory at Tynecastle.
Hearts loanee Marc Leonard is emerging as a potential candidate for the Scotland World Cup squad after a report claimed head coach Steve Clarke was in attendance at yesterday’s win over Rangers to ‘cast an eye’ on him.
The midfielder has impressed since moving to Tynecastle from Birmingham City on a loan deal until the end of the season, and has represented Scotland at every age level up until Under-21s, but has yet to be handed a full senior cap.
Signed to fill the void left by an injury to Cammy Devlin, the 24-year-old has registered one goal and three assists and has swiftly become a key player for the Premiership leaders after his move in January, leading head coach Derek McInnes to label him as a ‘future Scotland internationalist’ in March.
Playing the full 90 minutes of Monday’s seismic victory over Danny Rohl’s Rangers, the Glasgow-born midfielder is just three games away from bringing the Scottish Premiership title to Tynecastle for the first time in 65 years, and he could cap off a dream year by gaining a first international call-up ahead of this summer’s tournament in the Americas.
Clarke is set to name a 55-man preliminary squad for the World Cup later this month, which will then be whittled down to 26 ahead of their tournament opener against Haiti at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on June 13. While the 62-year-old boss admitted there are only two positions he is undecided on, a handful of players could still be given one final chance to nab a place on the plane in the friendly against Curacao on May 30.
Pictured alongside Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder at the game, it has been reported that the Blades boss was also in attendance to watch Leonard. The 58-year-old is said to be mulling over a summer deal for the Scottish midfielder as he looks to bolster his squad ahead of a promotion push next season.
The second-tier side struggled in the EFL Championship during the 2025/26 season, finishing 13th in the table after a disastrous start, which saw them lose eight of their first nine league games, despite only missing out on promotion to the previous season to a last-minute goal against Sunderland in the EFL Championship playoff final.
However, having won seven of their final 10 games, Sheffield United are now hoping to launch an automatic promotion bid when the new campaign begins in August, leading to interest in Leonard. Thought to be out of the picture at Birmingham, the midfielder has a decision to make on his future this summer, though uncertainty surrounding Blues’ boss Chris Davies could complicate matters.
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