Two Scotland players depart La Manga training camp as Sebastien Pocognoli deploys new approach

Rangers winger Findlay Curtis and Hearts striker James Wilson will leave Sébastien Pocognoli’s senior squad and join up with Docherty’s Under-21s for next week’s European Championship qualifier against Azerbaijan.

The talented duo have spent the week at Scotland’s training base in La Manga, getting their first taste of Pocognoli’s methods as the Belgian prepares for his opening Nations League fixture against Slovenia in Ljubljana on Saturday.

Neither player was expected to feature from the start in Slovenia and the decision has been taken to give them the chance to play rather than spend the weekend among the substitutes or watching on from the sidelines.

Docherty will therefore take charge of his first Under-21 match with two players who remain part of Pocognoli’s plans but will now be available for the younger side at Rugby Park.

Scotland’s new player pathway in full flight

The former Dundee manager has also been in Spain during the international break, where he has met Pocognoli and begun assessing the players who may move between the senior and Under-21 squads as Scotland seek to establish a more effective pathway into the senior team.

Pocognoli’s squad will travel to the Slovenian capital on Friday, while Docherty will head in the opposite direction with Curtis and Wilson, who are among the first to find themselves at the centre of that crossover.

The arrangement is designed to ensure that players on the fringes of the senior team continue to get meaningful competitive football. Rather than keeping them with the senior team simply to provide training numbers, the Under-21s can offer an immediate opportunity for game time before the players return to Pocognoli’s consideration.

The move does not represent a change in status for either player. Curtis and Wilson remain members of the senior squad and could be recalled for the later Nations League fixtures.

Scotland face Switzerland at Hampden Park on Tuesday, with Docherty’s Under-21 side facing Azerbaijan in Ayrshire the following day in their penultimate European Championship qualifier.

The senior squad then travel to Skopje to face North Macedonia on October 3 before returning to Glasgow for the return fixture against Slovenia on October 6.

By then, Curtis and Wilson could once again be back in Pocognoli’s squad, depending on their involvement with the Under-21s and the demands of the senior team. The situation offers an early indication of how the relationship between Scotland’s two international levels could develop under the new regime.

Pocognoli has spoken of the importance of developing the players coming through, while Docherty's remit is to prepare the next generation for senior football. Allowing promising players to move between the groups gives both managers greater flexibility and, crucially, keeps young players playing competitive football.

The immediate priority for Docherty is to make a winning start and keep Scotland’s Under-21 European Championship hopes alive. But his presence in La Manga was also an important part of the wider transition taking place at Hampden.