Scotland's World Cup squad prefer certain hairstyle for talismanic figure - plus 'brilliant' France 98 plan

Of course, World Cups are a different beast. These tournaments follow their own code. So much demand is placed on their time that players’ media appearances are arranged on a rota basis.

The sight of Lyndon Dykes striding into the press room on Tuesday could not be used as cast-iron evidence that he will start for Scotland’s pivotal World Cup clash against Morocco on Friday night.

After all, Craig Gordon was the player facing the press last week. This was welcome, since he has a story and a half to tell. However, when it came to the crunch of Saturday’s Group C opener against Haiti, Angus Gunn got the gloves.

Still, it was tempting to read something into Dykes’ appearance on the podium of the Scotland media centre in Charlotte. As a colleague once remarked, with reference to Dykes’ spreading tapestry of tattoos, it’s difficult to know what to do first: ask him questions or read him. Electing the former course of action, someone asked whether he has room for a World Cup tattoo? “I will definitely get one,” he said. “I’ve got loads of tattoos but there’s plenty of space.”

One to mark his first start at a World Cup? It’s possible this might come on Friday night back at the Boston Stadium, where he enjoyed a 15-minute cameo against Haiti after replacing Che Adams. While nearly everyone expects Steve Clarke to revert to one striker, there is no universal agreement about who that striker should be.

Adams does seem an obvious choice. He played well against Haiti and was withdrawn before Lawrence Shankland in what was treated as a clue that he would play the lone forward role against Morocco. It was not as if he was playing any more poorly than Shankland. Indeed, rarely has a player managed to play himself out of contention with such dismal success as the new Rangers striker that evening. Ross Stewart and George Hirst stand a better chance of starting against Morocco than Shankland. Maybe even Oli McBurnie.

A man to ruffle Moroccan feathers

But there’s a school of thought that Dykes could be the man for the job against a defence that is as unyielding as the Atlas Mountains. Everyone knows about their full-backs, Paris-Saint Germain’s Achraf Hakimi and Manchester United’s Noussair Mazraoui. But centre halves Issa Diop and Chadi Riad form a formidable central bulwark. Including the overturned AFCON final result, Morocco haven’t lost since August last year. They haven’t conceded more than one goal in a match since the same month if we discount the two goals lost in the final of the Arab Cup, which Morocco still won 3-2 at any rate. That was very much a B team.

Friday, however, will be the A team, fitness permitting. Morocco must win having drawn their opener with Brazil. Diop and Riad will be stretching every sinew of their large six-foot-plus frames to keep a clean sheet. Clarke may feel someone who embodies Scotland’s warrior spirit is what is required.

At 6ft 2in, he certainly has the height to ruffle Diop and Riad, who are 6ft 4in and 6ft 2in respectively.

Dykes has adopted the major finals look his teammates prefer and which was so missed at the Euros in Germany two summers ago. The striker missed out because of a devastating injury sustained in training a few days before the tournament began. Commitment is never an issue with Dykes, but he’s doubly determined to make the most of this opportunity at football’s top table. He knew what had to be done with the clippers before heading to the United States.

“I shaved my head intentionally before the tournament,” he explained. “I change my hair up every so often for something new. But with Scotland, the shaved head has kinda stuck. The boys like it when it’s shaved. I don’t know what it is. They prefer the bald Dykes, it’s a big more aggressive maybe.”

He gave himself a severe crop earlier than normal. “I was trying to get a bit of tan on the top of my head," he explained. "It’s a bit white when I usually do it!"

Dykes even discussed getting all his teammates to adopt a similar look to him, in the way Romania all took to the pitch with bleached hair to instil team spirit at France 98. “Just get a whole team of skinheads and everyone with a tattoo,” he smiled. “That would be brilliant!”

He already knows the identity of one player who would resist this call. “McTominay, all day. It’s all about the looks with him now…” The joking around will have to stop before Friday. Dykes has his game head on in more ways than one. Although he grew up on the Gold Coast, and might well have been at this World Cup with Australia, he is only concerned about Scotland. “I haven’t watched much of the World Cup anyway. I only saw their result, which is good for them,” he said. Australia’s 2-0 win over Turkey suggested they are doing fine without him.

As for Scotland, Dykes has been a constant feature of the squad since 2020, to the point of irritation for some Tartan Army members. Many have been pushing for McBurnie’s inclusion. “There has always been stuff like that and especially because of the recent form of certain players,” shrugged Dykes.

“But ever since I’ve come into the Scotland camp, people have seen what I’ve given. I’m in double figures for goals for Scotland and I think I’ve proven what I can do as I’ve been involved in making tournaments.” He’s also something of a talismanic figure. When he has scored, which he has done so on ten occasions in nine different games, Scotland have always won. Such bald statistics alone perhaps endorse his claim to start against the African champions.

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