'The one': Scotland told to start World Cup difference-maker amid comparisons to Rangers hero
Scotland have been told they have a difference maker in their ranks this summer.
Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland has been backed to be Steve Clarke’s game-changer who could fire the national team into the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in history.
Set to begin their Group C campaign with a clash against Haiti this weekend, the Rangers striker heads into the tournament in electric form, having scored three goals in his last two games for Scotland, with goals in each of their pre-World Cup friendlies against Curacao and Bolivia. He also notched 20 goals for Hearts last season prior to his move to Ibrox last month.
Restricted to just 22 minutes of action at the European Championships in Germany two summers ago, former Arsenal and England centre forward Ian Wright has implored head coach Clarke to make him Scotland’s first-choice striker at the World Cup this summer, and backed him to be a difference-maker that can take the national team further than they’ve ever been before.
Asked if Scotland needed a ‘natural goal scorer’ to progress at the tournament by fellow pundit Roy Keane, Wright said: “I think they’ve got one in Lawrence Shankland. He’s just gone to Rangers. Great signing for them, they’ve seen something in him. What he’s got is a physical presence. He’s a very, very good finisher and good link up play. He could be that striker they’ve looked for.”
One of four strikers heading to the tournament as part of Clarke’s 26-man squad, Shankland will compete with Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes and Ross Stewart for a starting spot in North America, but Wright believes the Rangers marksman has the edge on his striking rivals due to comparisons to one of Scotland’s most celebrated goal scorers.
“They haven’t had that profile of striker for a long time,” said Wright. “You’re going all the way back to Ally McCoist maybe, in respect of someone who can finish and get that kind of chance. So fingers crossed it can go well for him [Shankland], he’s had a brilliant season. So unlucky Hearts were to not finish off [by winning] the league. Well done to Celtic. But yeah, him as a striker, I think he might be the one.”
McCoist, who scored 19 goals for the Scotland national team during his playing career, has also praised Shankland recently. Speaking on TalkSport earlier this summer, the Rangers legend hailed him as "the best finisher in the country”, and echoed Wright’s thoughts that he was “Scotland's most natural finisher.”
Scotland face Haiti in their Group C opener this weekend at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, with kick-off scheduled in the early hours of Sunday morning at 2am.
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