Craig Gordon has hailed John Souttar as the 'complete' centre-half as he expressed his delight at seeing him back in the Scotland squad.
The Rangers defender has returned to full fitness and been a key part of Michael Beale's end of season run-in as he bids to put a marker down ahead of next season. The Light Blues are going through a major summer overhaul and after a season plagued by injury, the former Hearts star will be determined to hit the ground running.
Gordon - recovering from a long-term injury himself - has played alongside the defender and has labelled him as 'one of the best' in the country. His distribution and ability to thread passes has been highlighted while his threat from set-pieces as seen against Celtic recently and for his Scotland goal against Denmark is also a key trait.
READ MORE: Hibs land Europa Conference League spot as Hearts handed Euro boost after Celtic Scottish Cup win
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Steve Clarke has rewarded his return to fitness and form with an international recall for the huge Euro 2024 qualifiers with Norway and Georgia in a couple of weeks time.
Speaking to Edinburgh Evening News, he said: “I’m delighted for him [to be recalled] as he’s been through some horrendous times with injuries in his career. He’s still relatively young too, to have gone through as much as he has.
“He got his move to Rangers and when he played in his first game he was probably still not quite recovered from the injury he sustained at Hearts. He was just desperate to do well at a new club and didn’t want to be injured. He tried to get through that first few weeks and it didn’t work out for him. It’s been a long road back and that must have been difficult.
“He would have been sitting in the treatment room for months without feeling part of it, and not really getting to know his team-mates and how they play. That first pre-season is always vitally important at a new club and John didn’t really get that opportunity to cement his place in the team. But he’s come in for the tail end of the season and shown what he can do.
“He’s one of the best defenders in Scotland and has quite rightly got himself back in the squad.
“He gives us great distribution from the back. He has threaded balls for Rangers right through the middle of the park. We don’t have that many guys who can play those types of passes.
“He’s also a threat from set pieces. He got the goal against Celtic – albeit off a little deflection – but he can attack the ball, as he did for Scotland against Denmark too.
“He really is a complete centre-half and it’s great to see him back in the squad. If called upon against Norway I’m sure he’d do a good job.”
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