Craig Gordon can still be Scotland’s number one goalkeeper, with manager Steve Clarke insisting that the gloves are up for grabs ahead of their next Nations League camp.
Scotland will take on Croatia in Zagreb next Saturday before welcoming Portugal to Hampden the following Tuesday night, and with Gordon having supplanted Zander Clark as first choice keeper at club level with Hearts, he has also earned his place back in the national team set-up after being overlooked for the European Championships and the opening two matches of their Nations League section.
It looked as though Gordon was waving farewell to the Tartan Army at Hampden after earning his 75th cap in a pre-Euros friendly against Finland, but Clarke says the 41-year-old was always determined to fight his way back into the Scotland reckoning, and that he is now set on ousting Angus Gunn from the starting XI.
“All three goalkeepers are fighting for the number one shirt,” Clarke said.
“Always. Always. He told me he wasn’t stopping at 75 [caps], so you never know.
“He's the number one at Hearts and he's playing every week. Zander has been on the bench, Liam Kelly has been on the bench at Rangers and Robbie McCrorie has been on the bench at Kilmarnock.
"I need three goalkeepers and what better than to bring Craig back?
"Craig told me it [Finland game] was not a farewell, that he would see me in the future. So, he lived up to his promise! He's always shown that he's up for the fight.
"He wants to play every week, he wants to play as many times as he can for his country. So, I look forward to seeing him again.
"He shows durability. He's a good professional, and like I said before, somebody who just wants to prolong his playing career as long as he can. Hat's off to Craig."
At the other end of the scale of international experience, Clarke has called up three first-timers for these matches, with Aberdeen’s Nicky Devlin, Preston’s Liam Lindsay and West Ham United’s Andy Irving being drafted into his injury-hit squad.
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Clarke is looking forward to seeing if the trio can increase his options moving forward, being particularly impressed by Irving’s willingness to follow an unconventional career path all the way to the English Premier League.
“The first time I came across Andy, I was managing with Kilmarnock,” he said.
“He was playing for a Hearts team as a very young man, still growing into his frame a little bit.
"I think he's surprising everybody with the choices that he made to move abroad. In a roundabout way, ending up in the English Premier League. It'll be nice to see him again up close.”
In terms of what Devlin and Lindsay will bring to the squad, Clarke said: "Defensive qualities, hopefully.
“Obviously, we're very short of defenders. We seem to be in the middle of a horrendous run of injuries to defenders, especially.
"There's a chance for both Nicky and Liam, both experienced and dependable defenders.
"They've had good club careers without getting international recognition, but hopefully they can get that in the upcoming games."
