Ipswich Town goalkeeper Cieran Slicker gets first call up; defenders Jack Hendry and Scott McKenna return; Torino's Che Adams included but is a doubt after picking up injury on Sunday; Scotland host Croatia on November 15 before ending their Nations League campaign in Poland on November 18
Monday 4 November 2024 14:07, UK
Aston Villa captain John McGinn and Middlesbrough striker Tommy Conway have been named in Scotland's squad for their final Nations League matches against Croatia and Poland.
Head coach Steve Clarke has made five changes to the group that were called up for their previous double-header with defenders Jack Hendry and Scott McKenna also returning.
Ipswich Town goalkeeper Cieran Slicker - who has yet to feature for the Premier League club this season - is a surprise inclusion as he earns his first senior call-up.
Clarke's side - who have won just one of their last 16 matches - will take some confidence from their draw at home to Portugal last time out but do find themselves bottom of group A1 after three defeats from four.
"I think over the course of the section, the four games we've played, the performances have been pretty good," said Clarke.
"We haven't had the points return that we wanted, but it was nice to get one point on the board and hopefully this month we can add a few more."
Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon, 41, is set to add to his 77 Scotland caps - with No 1 Angus Gunn still injured. Joining him and Slicker is Kilmarnock's Robby McCrorie who keeps his place in the squad, meaning there is no spot for Dundee's Jon McCracken.
Celtic's Greg Taylor - who was in the previous squad before withdrawing through injury - is back, with Aberdeen's Jack MacKenzie dropping out.
Preston North End's Liam Lindsay also drops out due to the return of Hendry and McKenna, who has recovered from injury that kept him out of matches against Croatia and Portugal.
Rangers' Connor Barron was a late addition to Clarke's last squad and keeps his place in the senior set-up in place of Celtic's James Forrest, while McGinn's return means West Ham midfielder Andy Irving drops out.
Tommy Conway returns after missing the last camp, and with Lawrence Shankland fit again, Aberdeen's Kevin Nibset misses out following his return to the international fold last month.
Elsewhere, Che Adams is included despite coming off after 17 minutes of Torino's defeat to Fiorentina on Sunday, and will undergo a scan in Italy before a decision is made on his involvement going forward. However, Clarke will not add another forward if he is to miss out, with Birmingham City's Lyndon Dykes the fourth forward in the group.
The camp has come too soon for Lewis Ferguson - who returned to action with Bologna on Saturday after six months out due to an ACL injury - with Kieran Tierney, Nathan Patterson and Aaron Hickey also out.
Clarke said: "I think when you look at the longer-term injuries, it's better for them to get minutes at their club, build up their robustness. For people like Lewis and Kieran and Nathan Patterson, it's better that they get minutes over the winter and hopefully they're all fit and flying come March."
Scotland were hit with a huge injury headache during the last international camp, with a full starting XI of players missing.
However, Clarke is pleased several of those absentees are back - and hopes the call-up for Slicker proves more of the under-21 players will get their chance to impress.
He said: "It's always good to get the players back, who are a little bit more regular around the squad. But the boys that came in last month did a good job for us as well, so I'm pleased to have some of the boys back."
"Obviously [McGinn is] a big character in the camp and also a big player for us on the pitch, so it's nice to have John back."
When asked about Slicker's inclusion, he added: "I think it's just a chance for us to look at Cieran up close and personal in the camp. I've been rotating the goalkeepers a little bit through the squad so that we can look at different people. Cieran is now out of the under-21 group, so it's a chance for myself and my coaches to have a look at him.
"I think for everybody it's important that they recognise there's a pathway for the under-21s into the senior squad. I've always tried to show that we can do that and Cieran's another one on the list.
"In the squad now, we've got Connor Barron, we've got Ben Doak, you've still got Tommy Conway, so we're showing that there is a pathway and we need to look for the next generation as well."
Goalkeepers: Craig Gordon (Hearts), Robby McCrorie (Kilmarnock), Cieran Slicker (Ipswich Town)
Defenders: Nicky Devlin (Aberdeen), Grant Hanley (Norwich), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Scott McKenna (UD Las Palmas), Ryan Porteous (Watford), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andrew Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Greg Taylor (Celtic)
Midfielders: Connor Barron (Rangers), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Ben Doak (Middlesbrough), Ryan Gauld (Vancouver Whitecaps), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Lewis Morgan (New York Red Bulls)
Forwards: Ché Adams (Torino), Tommy Conway (Middlesbrough), Lyndon Dykes (Birmingham City), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts)
