The 5 Scotland Euro 2024 Lyndon Dykes replacement options - and the one which does not involve a call-up

The QPR forward was withdrawn from Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad on Saturday after suffering an ankle injury 24 hours previously in training. As yet, Clarke has not officially summoned another player into the group. Speaking ahead of facing Gibraltar, he revealed he would take a few days to come to a decision, with Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland and uncapped teenager Ben Doak his only recognised forwards in his current 27-man squad.

We run through some of the options available to Clarke:

Tommy Conway

The 21-year-old striker from Taunton has impressed at time for Bristol City this season, catching the eye with a goal against West Ham in the FA Cup. He is the main man for the Scotland Under-21 team and is in action tonight against Turkey. He scored ten time in 39 appearances for the Ashton Gate outfit and while at 6ft 1in isn’t a direct replacement for the physically imposing Dykes, he can mix it with defenders. He has never been in the senior set-up but if Clarke was to look at the 21s, Conway would catch the eye. A good performance this evening might sway it for Conway.

Ross Stewart

Capped twice by Clarke, most of Stewart’s season has been a complete write-off due to an Achilles injury. However, he was part of the Southampton squad that managed to navigate past Leeds United in the play-offs to reach the English Premier League and has played 27 minutes of football in the past month. How match-sharp he is remains a big question. The tall forward is certainly able to lead the line on his own and offers an aerial threat – and Clarke is fully aware of his capabilities.

Ryan Hardie

Another striker who has done well in the English Championship, former Rangers youth prospect Hardie scored 12 goals in 40 appearances for Plymouth as they managed to escape the drop. He has never been called into the Scotland squad and appears behind Conway and Stewart in the pecking order. His last goal came on February 24 and the Pilgrims have not played in a month.

Kevin Nisbet

The former Hibs man was part of the Euro 2020 squad but since moving to Millwall, he has dropped out of contention for Scotland – mainly due to injury. His first season at The Den did not go to plan and he was left out of the final day of the season due to disciplinary reasons. Now fully recovered from a serious hamstring injury, he would likely be available, although like Hardie and Stewart, his recent action has been limited. Capped 11 times, he would offer a more experienced option.

Push a midfielder forward

Clarke may decide that he has enough in his squad to cover the forward positions. Scotland are unlikely to play with two strikers from the start in any of their group matches. The versatile midfielder Scott McTominay could, in an emergency, be pushed further forward, while Celtic winger James Forrest has played as a striker in the past. Clarke may feel it is more beneficial at this stage – with the squad requiring just one more cut before Friday – to stick with what he’s got.