'I don’t get it': 26-cap Scotland hero questions Steve Clarke decision as he addresses problem position
The former Scotland international has questioned Steve Clarke decision to omit the Hearts star.
Former Scotland goal-scoring hero Don Hutchison admits he is baffled by Steve Clarke’s decision to omit Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland from his squad for this week’s World Cup qualifying fixtures.
The Tynecastle hitman has been in excellent form in the Scottish Premiership, scoring four goals in the opening seven matches to help Hearts go two points clear at the top of the league, but was left out of Clarke’s Scotland squad for a crucial qualifying double header against Greece and Belarus at Hampden Park this week.
The 62-year-old national team boss opted to stick with Lyndon Dykes, Che Adams, Kieron Bowie, and George Hirst as his four strikers in his 24-man squad, with Shankland left out of his Scotland squad for close to a year. His last appearance for Scotland was in November last year during the 2-1 Nations League victory against Poland in Warsaw.
Hutchison, who earned 26 caps for Scotland and famously scored the winning goal in a 1-0 victory over England at Wembley in 1999, believes the 30-year-old should have been brought back into the squad by Clarke in order to address one of their problem positions.
“Honestly, I don’t get it,” Hutchison told online-casinos.com. “Not with the form he’s in. He’s got something like four in seven, and his team is top of the league. The numbers he has put up over the years at Hearts are pretty good. The one area Scotland is lacking is up front; they need a good goal scorer.
“Guys like Billy Gilmour, Andy Robertson, Scott McTominay, and others like Kieran Tierney, they’re strong in defence and midfield. They have decent wide players and No. 10s, with Ryan Christie too, but they need someone in good form up top. When you’re scoring for your club and you go on international duty, it’s so much easier to take that form into the national side. You have that confidence, so I wonder why he’s not been called up.
“They had a great start, getting a good draw at Denmark with a clean sheet, nil-nil. Then they beat Belarus, another away game. They should be unbeaten, and they should be looking to qualify top of the group. Denmark are pretty strong, but to go there and get a draw was very good. It’s that old thing about being a Scotland fan, though. Where’s the bump in the road?”
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