Steve Clarke chose to leave veteran Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon and Rangers center-back Craig Gordon out of his 26-man Germany roster.
Andy Halliday wonders if Steve Clarke’s decision to leave Rangers defender John Souttar off of Scotland’s Euro 2024 team was because Souttar needed more time to properly recuperate from his injury.
Despite missing out on the Gers matchday squad for the final three games of the season, including the Scottish Cup final, the center-back was named by Clarke in his provisional 28-man squad for this summer’s major tournament.
The center-back was substituted at halftime during the Light Blues’ Scottish Premiership derby against Celtic on May 11.
The national squad drew 2-2 with Finland at Hampden on Friday night before leaving for Germany, defeating Gibraltar 2-0 in Faro and failing to place Souttar on the bench in either of the final two warm-up games.
Liam Cooper and Grant Hanley, two of his defense teammates who had recently struggled to get regular playing time for their respective clubs, participated in both games and picked up significant minutes.
When the former Hearts player had his most recent setback, Gers manager Philippe Clement was unable to verify the entire nature of his injuries.
Prior to official confirmation on Friday night that he and veteran Hearts goalie Craig Gordon would miss the upcoming group stage matches against Germany, Switzerland, and Hungary, there were hints that the 27-year-old was still carrying a grudge.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Halliday discussed Clarke’s ultimate decision to bench Souttar and Gordon, saying, “When I saw the provisional 28-man squad and saw four goalkeepers you always felt one was going to miss out.” It seems to me that Craig only played seven games this season due to his double-leg break.
Liam Kelly, on the other hand, recently shattered a 10-year SPL record of 132 consecutive starts. It was great to witness Craig say what might be his final farewell to Scotland last night, even if I always thought he would be the one.
I considered it a sophisticated move on Steve Clarke’s part. Naturally, he will be very disappointed that he cannot travel to Germany. “I believe that Steve Clarke’s choice (Souttar) was perhaps a little more challenging.
Of the 28-man roster, seven, or even eight, of the lads are capable of playing center half.
“You always got the impression that individuals like John Souttar and possibly Liam Cooper were competing with one another, and John’s injury happened right before the season’s final four or five games.
“You see the matchup with Gibraltar, he doesn’t get to start. Although his performance in the open workout was impressive, he did not make the bench last night, leaving one to question if his injury was a matter of time more than chance.
He will undoubtedly be sad because it was a competitive part of the park, but I am still optimistic about what we have headed to Germany.
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