'Heart with Scotland' - Head coach reveals reasons Man City star switched allegiances from England

Pedro Martinez Losa. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Head coach Pedro Martinez Losa has revealed the key reason why goalkeeper Sandy MacIver was called up to his Scotland squad after opting to switch her international allegiance from England.

The Manchester City stopper was part of numerous Lionesses' squads over the past two years but made the decision to switch in recent months and is eligible for Scotland via her mother which has seen her included in the Scotland squad for their UEFA Nations League double header with Netherlands later this month.

"She is a very reliable goalkeeper who can dominate aerial balls, who can be reliable also playing with her feet" said Martinez Losa on his decision to include her for the double header.

"We are happy with the work we have done with three goalkeepers who are normally in the squad but we will continue to evaluate goalkeepers in Scotland and who are eligible. We felt she can bring us to the next level but at the end it is all about coming to camp and fighting for a position" added the Spanish head coach.

Alongside Celtic midfielder Jenny Smith, the Manchester City stopper is one of two new names in the squad and the 50-year-old boss discussed the journey taken to bring MacIver into the squad, how it came about and which key moment convinced him to call MacIver up.

"The key moment was when we decided to leave it a few months and then when she felt totally convinced, she would call me back and have a conversation. From that conversation, she explained to me a few elements that were very important" revealed Martinez Losa.

"We never press her, we never tried to do anything other than explore the opportunity and she was 100% convinced. She has decided that, she wanted to not think about playing England, she wanted to play for Scotland - it was in her heart" said the Scotland boss.

MacIver replaces Eartha Cummings in the 23 strong squad, though Martinez Losa confirmed that her omission was due to a late wrist injury that will now require surgery.

Alongside MacIver and Smith, Liverpool defender Jenna Clark was rewarded for her strong start to the season with a recall to the squad and the head coach admitted he had been pleased with her start to the campaign.

"It was part of our conversation in June, in terms of how she can give the next level and she mentioned that she had decided to test herself (by moving to Liverpool). Jenna is a very aware player of what she needs to do. She has been in the squad for two years, sometimes provided opportunities.

"She was aware she needed to reach the next level and we discussed that together and she was trying to find this solution. She developed herself as an athlete, her athleticism is unbelievable. She competed at a very good level in Scotland but next level you can reach is by maybe playing in the under 23's regularly, perhaps having a bigger role for the under 23's - she was captain.”

Scotland will face Netherlands as part of their UEFA Nations League campaign in Nijmegen on Friday 27 October before welcoming Andries Jonker’s side to Hampden Park just four days later.