Why Steve Clarke should consider handing a recall to forgotten Scotland striker that has entered prestigious list
Forward slowly returning to the form that his current side pay £8million for his services
There may be nearly four months between now and the start of the World Cup, but that won’t stop supporters discussing which players will be on the plane to the Americas.
And with Scotland’s first pre-tournament friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast on the menu next month, we might get some more clues as those in the thoughts of head coach Steve Clarke.
Who are the certainties to make the squad if fit? Scott McTominay, John McGinn, and captain Andy Robertson will be on the plane barring any late injuries, while the likes of Nathan Patterson, Ryan Porteous, and Kieron Bowie will all be hoping for recall and a chance to impress before the festivities get under way Stateside.
While Clarke has already admitted that he hopes to “take a look one or two that have had good seasons for their clubs” doubts surrounding the fitness of Craig Gordon, Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland, and Ben Gannon-Doak mean it is likely that squad will undergo some surgery, with new and returning faces possible when he names his squad for the March friendlies.
Light in the striking department, there have been some calls for Hull City striker Oli McBurnie to make a return after scoring 13 goals in his debut season at the MKM Stadium. Oli Burke of Union Berlin is another forward option for Clarke as he looks to plug the gap likely to be left by Adams and Shankland. However, there is one forgotten striker who has yet to enter the conversation - and could be worth taking a chance on after his encouraging form following a long injury lay-off.
Ross Stewart, capped twice by Scotland back in 2022 after a goal-laden campaign with Sunderland in EFL League One, has endured a nightmare couple of seasons on the treatment table, having been forced to miss 800 of the last 1,200 days due to hamstring and muscle injuries.
Exploding into life in the English second tier following promotion with Sunderland during the 2022/23 campaign, he bagged 10 goals in 13 Championship matches for the Black Cats before an Achilles injury ended his season prematurely at the halfway point. It didn’t stop his current side, Southampton, shelling out £8million for his services that following summer, though sadly the injuries would follow him to the south coast.
Various ailments prevented the former Ross County hitman from making any impact at St Mary’s, limiting him to just 156 minutes of action in his first 18 months at Southampton. However, after appearing to finally emerge from his injury hell and feature more regularly for the Saints this season, Stewart is beginning to rediscover the kind of form that saw him tipped to be a potential Scotland No 9 during his days on Wearside. He has seven goal contributions from his 17 appearances this season, with only seven of those coming as starts.
Featuring in all ten of the club’s most recent fixtures, the 29-year-old has also now played his longest stretch of games since his glory days at the Stadium of Light. A versatile, 6ft 4in striker with a deceptively quick turn of pace and undeniable work rate, his ability to run the channels and bring others into play, all whilst proving deadly in front of goal, earned him the label the ‘Loch Ness Drogba’ during his highly productive time at Sunderland.
The tongue-in-cheek nickname is testament to the unique qualities he could offer Clarke’s Scotland squad, should he continue to remain injury-free. While his fitness will remain a question mark, there’s no doubting his ability in front of goal. In fact, his strike against Charlton Athletic last week saw him overtake EFL Championship icons Aleksandar Mitrovic and Ivan Toney to move second in the list of fewest minutes per goal in the league’s history, striking every 118 minutes.
For the first time in recent seasons, Stewart’s return to form and fitness has allowed him to dream of a return to the Scotland squad. "I would be lying if I said it's not [in my mind],” admitted Stewart recently. “What I can say just around that is it's kind of in the back of my mind, at the moment. I just kind of try to focus game by game and just get a spell of playing continual football and try to make positive impacts in games. If I do that, it gives me half a chance of going [to the World Cup]. But as I said, it's been a few years since I represented my country, and I loved it. I would love to do it again and make no secret of that.”
Doubts surrounding his fitness are to be expected. That is largely the reason he has dropped out of the headlines, and the international reckoning. He’s already admitting to himself that remaining injury-free until the end of the campaign will be his initial goal.
Stewart clearly has the ability to make an impact and offer something different to Scotland’s ranks. His statistics prove, when he is on the pitch, he contributes to goals. Pacey, strong, capable of bringing players into the game, or finishing off moves himself, Scotland don’t currently have anyone similar to Stewart. Should he continue to prove he is finally over his problems in the coming weeks and months, he’s surely worth a look before June?
With Clarke’s striking options thin ahead of next month’s friendlies, the former Sunderland man is a player who the 62-year-old boss should be keeping a watchful eye on over the next few weeks as he looks to fire Southampton back to the promised land of the English Premier League via the play-offs.
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