The Southampton striker Ross Stewart has ended a four-year absence from international football by being named in the Scotland squad for the World Cup. Steve Clarke, maintaining his typical approach, opted for familiarity in selecting those who will represent the country in a World Cup this summer for the first time in 28 years.
Stewart’s excellent form towards the end of the domestic season – the 29-year-old scored five times in 10 games for Southampton – led Clarke to include him in his 26-man party. A substitute appearance in a Nations League game against Ireland in 2022 was the last time Stewart donned Scotland colours. Injury to Tommy Conway is likely to have boosted Stewart’s cause but Clarke said the former Sunderland man was always in his thoughts.
