Craig Levein has identified Ben Gannon-Doak as the man who could make the difference off the bench for Scotland in their crucial clash with Brazil.
Steve Clarke’s side face the five-time world champions on Wednesday knowing a positive result could seal progression to the knockout stages after mixed results against Haiti and Morocco.
Speaking to the Scottish Sun, former Scotland boss Levein believes the Bournemouth winger is best deployed as an impact substitute rather than from the start.
Gannon-Doak has emerged as an exciting option for Scotland in recent international windows, bringing pace and directness out wide. The 20-year-old started the opening win but was used off the bench in the defeat to Morocco, where he made a noticeable impact in a 30-minute cameo.
That contribution has led to calls for him to start against Brazil, but Levein feels his influence would be greater later in the game. He said: “I don’t think Steve is of a mind to start him in these games and I understand that.
“As managers we all say keep it tight early, don’t do anything silly and don’t lose a goal. When you lose a goal early like we did against Morocco, it’s a real punch in the stomach. To recover from that, then put on Gannon-Doak when opposition players are starting to get a little tired means he can be even more influential.
“That’s where Gannon-Doak is going to be most useful at this moment.”
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Levein is not tipping Scotland to beat Brazil in Miami but believes they have a strong chance of reaching the knockout stages regardless of the result. He said: “The game against Morocco was a much better performance than against Haiti.
“If we can do that again then we can cause Brazil problems. I was worried because Morocco are really on the up. I’d argue they’re a better side than Brazil at the moment.
“So it was a really good defensive performance, considering the game plan was ripped up so early. If we can improve on that against Brazil I think we can get a point and that will get us through.
“But I also think a 1-0 defeat to Morocco was a good result and that might prove to be the case if we have a really strong defensive performance against Brazil. Even losing 1-0 to Brazil, there’s still a great chance we’ll qualify.
“We have to remember this isn’t one of the great Brazil sides. There are some very good players, but they’re not invincible.
“So if we can put on a really good, cohesive performance and fight right to the end, we’ve got a great chance to qualify for the next round.”
