STEVE Clarke has predicted that Andy Robertson can overtake Sir Kenny Dalglish as the most capped Scotland player of all-time as the Liverpool left-back prepared to make his 79th international appearance.
National team captain Robertson will move alongside Darren Fletcher in third place in the most capped list if he is involved in the Nations League matches against Croatia at Hampden tomorrow evening and Poland in Warsaw on Monday night.
Only former Aberdeen goalkeeper Jim Leighton (91) and Celtic and Liverpool legend Sir Kenny (102) will have represented their country more often if he features in both of the Group A1 fixtures in the coming days.
Clarke is confident the 30-year-old – who suspended Premier League referee David Coote was this week alleged to have called a “Scottish p****” - will remain a regular feature of his starting line-up for some time to come.
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“It’s very conceivable that Andy could become Scotland’s all-time record cap holder,” he said. “If he stays at the same level, with the same level of performance.
“I always talk highly of Andy every time he comes into the camp. He’s grown into the role of being captain and never lets his country down. So there’s no reason he can’t go on and get that amount of caps if he gets a fair run with injuries and form over the next couple of years. There’s no doubt about that.
“But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Let’s get him to 80 caps first and we’ll start again next year. We can keep counting.”
But he is, with Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn available once again, facing a selection dilemma ahead of the rematch with Croatia at Hampden tomorrow evening and stressed that he will not demand too much of former Celtic kid Doak.
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“We still have to protect him and look after him,” he said. “You still have to understand that he's a young player making his way in the game.
“He's doing very well under a really good manager, Michael Carrick, who's teaching Ben the game. But that's at the English Championship level. When you're playing for your country against top teams it is a different level.
“You have to be aware that Ben will improve at this level as well, so we have to give him time. Hopefully, like I said before, he's here for the next 10, 12 years at the international level, not just for a short spell and then dropping out.”
