Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Robbie Hanratty

McCrorie or Ralston for Euros start? The man who held that Scotland berth has his say

While several of Steve Clarke's favoured Scotland team appears clear-cut, there's still areas that remain uncertain. 

Who starts at right-back in the Euro 2024 opener against Germany is one of those conundrums. 

Aaron Hickey would've been the likely choice, and if not Nathan Patterson has shown he can fill in. However, both are ruled out of the tournament through injury, which leaves the Scotland head coach with a decision to make. 

His options currently stand at either Anthony Ralston, who has rarely featured for Celtic this past season, or Ross McCrorie, who has recently battled back from a long-term setback. 

Stephen O'Donnell held that position during Scotland's last Euros appearance three years ago and he believes Ralston probably just edges it because of his experience in performing under-pressure with Scottish Premiership champions Celtic. 

"I'd tip Tony to play. He has played a number of times for Scotland and always performed well," the Motherwell defender told Lanarkshire Live Sport.

"He has played in so many big games and is used to the pressure at Celtic so all these things are positives for him to get that slot. That was Ross' first game earlier in the week, while Tony has been in the setup now for a while and has a bit more experience.

"He maybe hasn't been involved as much for Celtic towards the end of the season, but he was training right up to the cup final so he would have been working a bit longer than Ross in the Championship, which finished a bit earlier.

"There's a whole host of reasons and If Ross plays, there is absolutely no harm because Ross has had a very good season as well.

"I think Tony has done exceptionally well and I am looking forward to seeing how he performs.

"The Euros is something special and it will be great for him to be involved in it and hopefully all the boys perform well."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.