STEVE Clarke has revealed the reason why on-form Celtic left back Greg Taylor has been omitted from his Scotland squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain later this month.
Fans of the Parkhead club were surprised when Taylor, who has been outstanding for Ange Postecoglou’s side at home and abroad in the 2022/23 campaign, was not among the 23 names Clarke announced today.
However, the former Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United assistant has revealed the defender, who he worked with during his time in charge of Kilmarnock, is nursing a minor injury.
The 25-year-old has played 34 times for his club and country this term and the Scottish champions feel he needs a break from competitive football during the international window.
“I have had a chat with Greg,” said Clarke. “It is really a Celtic issue, more than for me to comment on. He is carrying a little injury.
“He will probably benefit from a rest rather than coming away with the national team. Celtic should elaborate on that a little bit.”
He added: “We are well covered in all the positions. We are not too bad at left back. (Kieran) Tierney and (Andy) Robertson do okay. Young Josh Doig is in the under-21s if we want to go deeper into that position.
“Aaron Hickey can play left or right. Aaron is back playing in the Brentford team. Nathan Patterson has been fit for a number of weeks, three weeks I think.
“He has had some minutes with the under-21s, but he hasn’t managed to convince his new gaffer that he should be playing in the team yet. But I am sure that will come.”
Meanwhile, Clarke explained that Lawrence Shankland, the Hearts striker who has scored 21 goals in all competitions this season, missed out on the Scotland squad because he suffered a hamstring injury and Queens Park Rangers forward Lyndon Dykes returned to action after recovering from pneumonia.
“Lawrence has been really good this season,” he said. “He has had a good campaign. When I was looking at the forward department, Lawrence was right at the front of my mind. Probably the fact he has picked up a little injury might just have swayed me to go the other way.
“And obviously I have got Lyndon back. I wasn’t really expecting Lyndon to be fit. I watched him play for QPR at the weekend. Che (Adams) and Lyndon have been my go-to strikers if you like and I am happy to have both of them in the squad.”
Clarke watched Dykes, who was hospitalised by the illness he contracted in January and spent nearly two months out of action, in action against Watford at Loftus Road on Saturday and is confident he will be able to feature against Cyprus.
“There was a spell early on when he picked up his illness when we didn’t think he would be back this season,” he said. “But he is a tough guy.
“I went to the game at the weekend just to see him on the pitch. He was good. He got almost an hour, but it was a good hour. I wasn’t looking at him thinking he was out of condition. He was in good shape. It is a bonus to have Lyndon fit and available.
“It wasn’t pleasant for him and his family. He is in a much better place now which is great for everybody.”
Dykes is one of a number of Scotland players who has not featured much for their club sides in recent weeks; Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Liam Cooper (Leeds United), Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Billy Gilmour (Brighton), Scott McTominay (Manchester United), Patterson (Everton) and Kieran Tierney (Arsenal) have either been injured or have not been starting.
Clarke, though, is optimistic the national team can, with the help of a sell-out crowd at Hampden on Saturday, get their Euro 2024 campaign off to a winning start.
“I think sometimes you can look a bit too much into the minutes,” he said. “We have all had six months to sit and watch and say this one isn’t playing and that one isn’t playing.
“When you look at the average minutes over the course of the season, with one or two exceptions, they are all getting enough football. The thing is, if they are not playing they can’t get injured, which helps as well.”
