The 7 Scotland stars who need January transfer to boost World Cup hopes - and how Celtic could help

Clarke is notoriously loyal to his players, but there are a few in his squad that are not playing regularly for their clubs. That can be a perilous situation to be in ahead of a major tournament.

We take a look at some Scotland stars who may be eyeing up a January transfer move in order to enhance their prospects of being on the plane to the Americas.

Angus Gunn

The 29-year-old was Scotland’s first-choice keeper for four of the six World Cup qualifiers. An unfortunate training-ground injury earlier this month with Nottingham Forest ruled him out of the most recent matches and it is unclear when his knee injury will be fully healed.

It’s been a strange old year for Gunn. He left Norwich City last summer and joined English Premier League side Forest, only to swiftly fall down the pecking order to third choice behind Matz Sels and John Victor. Even when fit, he is not troubling the matchday squad.

Gunn recognises this and said last month that he may need to move in January. "I went into a situation at the club where I thought I'd be getting, obviously not regular game time, but some game time in terms of cups and things like that," he said.

"It's not really materialised, which I'm disappointed about. But obviously I've still got the chance to come away here and get the opportunity to play, like in the last two games. The thing for me, it's not a long-term contract, so there's definitely options, even in January, to possibly reconsider."

Clearly in a battle with Craig Gordon for the No 1 spot for Scotland, his best chance of wearing the gloves is leaving the City Ground. He looks assured a spot on the plane, but as a starter is a different matter.

Craig Gordon

His performance levels were admirable in Scotland’s past two matches given that his last competitive match was at the end of April. Troubled by neck and hamstring issues, he isn’t even the No 1 at Hearts any more.

Given the Jambos are having such a good season, there is no guarantees he will get back into the team. Hearts signed Alexander Schwolow at the start of September and the 33-year-old German is playing very well.

Gordon turns 43 at the end of the year. He is a Scotland legend. But that does not guarantee your place in the squad. Clarke decided not to take him to the Euros 18 months ago.

Staying fit and sharp is important for Gordon. He cannot go the next six months without playing club football and expect to be Scotland’s No 1. Can he oust Schwolow, or does he need to move somewhere in January? Given how much of a hero he is at Hearts and his affinity to the Tynecastle side, that would be a big call.

At his age, this season is surely Gordon’s last. He would love nothing more than to sign off at the World Cup.

Nathan Patterson

The forgotten man of the Scotland set-up. Patterson has been capped 23 times for his country at the age of 24. He was regarded as one of our finest talents when breaking through at Rangers - yet his career has been cruelly blighted by injury and Everton managers continually overlooking him.

Once again, injury denied him a place in the most recent squad. He had an operation to cure a hernia and hopes to be back before the year is out. A crossroads in January loom for him, though.

Does he try and fight for his place at Everton, or move on and ensure regular starts? Right-back is a particularly competitive area of the squad. Aaron Hickey has the shirt for now; Anthony Ralston, Max Johnston and Ross McCrorie are all battling for it too.

Patterson can’t afford to be on the sidelines for much longer.

Andy Irving

Capped just once by his country, Irving is often one of those who is brought in when squad withdrawals occur due to injury.

Nevertheless, the West Ham midfielder is a tidy technician who Clarke rates. The big issue for him is that midfield is one of the most competitive areas of the squad.

Under new manager Nuno Espirito Santo, Irving is not a regular with the Hammers. He has always been on the fringes of the first team, and may not be able to displace the likes of Tomas Soucek, Lucas Paqueta, Matheus Fernandes and Freddie Potts.

Lennon Miller

The 19-year-old was unfortunate not be in the squad for Scotland’s crowning moment. He was forced to withdraw due to injury after being a part of the previous two World Cup qualification camps.

Miller is regarded as one of Scotland’s brightest prospects and Clarke clearly likes him. However, his summer move from Motherwell to Udinese has not gone according to plan. He barely manages to make it on as a sub and rumours of a move to Celtic in January have reared their head already.

An automatic starter for Motherwell, Miller needs to be playing regularly at this stage of his career - and even more so now there is a World Cup on the horizon.

Similar to Irving’s predicament, Clarke has an embarrassment of riches in midfield. Miller needs to stay in his thoughts.

Lyndon Dykes

Dykes led the line for Scotland against Denmark. He is now a veteran of this squad and appears to have a higher value internationally than he does at club level. Birmingham City use him predominantly as an impact substitute, and Dykes wants to be more than that.

The 30-year-old was very close to joining Hibs on loan in August. The Easter Road side still remain in a market for a striker and would re-ignite their interest in Dykes if a deal could be struck. Wages were the biggest issue back in the summer.

It is hard to imagine Dykes not being Clarke’s squad. His work-rate and physicality are vital to him. But if he is to lay down a credible challenge to Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland and George Hirst for the No 9 shirt, having a strong end to the season will help him.

Dykes cruelly missed Euro 2024 due to injury. He would love nothing more than being front and centre on the global stage.

James Wilson

Back in March, Wilson became Scotland’s youngest cap at the age of 18 years and 17 days when Clarke threw him on to the pitch in a last-gasp attempt to rescue a Nations League play-off against Greece.

The teenager was featuring regularly for Hearts at that point and was seen as one of Scotland’s best striking prospects in a generation.

The landscape has changed for him since.

He is now not even assured a place on the Hearts bench as they fly high at the top of the Premiership. He has lost his place in the senior Scotland squad and played in the under-21s’ recent wins over Gibraltar and Bulgaria.

It will hurt the youngster, who spoke at the start of the campaign of realising one of his big dreams: playing at a World Cup.

Wilson seems a long way from the national team now. A loan move in January to a club where he would be the main man and scoring a lot of goals seems his only real hope of getting back in contention.