Scotland have a two-legged tie with Greece in the Nations League play-offs to determine whether Steve Clarke and his men can retain their League A status or be relegated to League B. Let’s take a look at his latest Scotland squad announcement where some promising young players have earned their first call up and other notable players have returned to the fold.
Key Players Returning to Scotland Squad for March International Break
Fresh Blood Introduced to the Squad
The inclusion of eighteen-year-olds Lennon Miller of Motherwell and Hearts forward James Wilson grabbed all the headlines in the Scotland squad recently announced by manager Steve Clarke. Miller has been outstanding for Motherwell for a couple of seasons now in the Scottish Premiership and has already attracted interest from a number of clubs. Serie A side Udinese had a £2.5million bid turned down in January and few were surprised at this level of interest.
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The Italian market has been a proven success route for a number of Scottish players in recent years. Lewis Ferguson, Billy Gilmour, Aaron Hickey and Josh Doig have all caught the eye as good investments for Italian sides and Miller is their latest target.
Captain of Motherwell at Early Age
When experienced pair Paul McGinn and Stephen O’Donnell were unavailable through injury recently, it was a measure of how highly Miller is thought of at Motherwell that he was given the captain’s armband at such a youthful age. It’s a great signal to send to the current group of young players at Motherwell that if you’re good enough and show a maturity beyond your years, you can be rewarded with a greater level of responsibility. Champions-elect Celtic are also rumoured to have a keen interest in Miller and it’s likely that he’ll take the next big step in his career in time for next season.
James Wilson Shines at Hearts
Over the last couple of seasons, Lawrence Shankland has been the main goal threat for a Hearts side that qualified for the Europa Conference League and were recognised as the best in Scotland outside of the top two, Celtic and Rangers. In what has been a quiet season for the former Scotland striker who was part of the squad that competed in Germany last summer at the Euros, Wilson has taken his chance to shine this season. The Europa Conference League has been on the go for just four years and Wilson is the youngest goal scorer to date when he notched against Moldovan side Petrocub Hincesti as a seventeen-year-old.
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Edinburgh Derby Goal Brought Attention to Wilson
In his seventeen league games to date, Wilson has scored five goals for Hearts and is just beginning to make his mark. He drew a lot of attention to himself last October when he scored the equaliser against Edinburgh rivals Hibs at Easter Road in a one-one draw. Wilson is the type of player that likes to run in-behind defences and he’s shown great composure in some of his finishing. The trick for Hearts is to ensure that they get maximum value for him when his inevitable move to a richer league comes about.
Lewis Ferguson and Kieran Tierney Return to Scotland Squad
Every Scot felt for Ferguson when the former Aberdeen midfielder, voted the best midfielder in Serie A last season, suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury that kept him out of the European Championships in Germany. Going into his third season of Italian football, a fit Ferguson could start to make his mark on the national team where the level of competition is so high. John McGinn, Ryan Christie, Scott McTominay and Gilmour have all been ahead of him but now is the chance for Ferguson to shine.
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A Fit Kieran Tierney is a Big Boost for Scotland
Tierney has signed a pre-contract with Celtic that will see him return to his first club in time to kick off next season. The 27-year-old has been plagued with injury over the years but there is no doubt he is a huge asset for club and country if he remains fit. He was an outstanding left back for Celtic and it was no surprise when Arsenal took him to the Premier League for a reported fee of £25 million.
At times for Scotland, he was comfortable playing as a left centre back when international captain Andy Robertson was used as a left back or left wing-back. The Nations League play-offs with Greece will be a close call and will also be a decent guide for the World Cup qualifying campaign in which the nations have again been drawn together. Scotland fans are pleased to see this new blood in the squad and the return to fitness of some star players.
