Scotland boss Pocognoli urged to turn to in form star to plug Nations League gap - 'he's flying!'

Scotland head coach Sebastien Pocognoli has been urged to give in-form defender Luke Graham his first international start in Friday’s clash with North Macedonia after his strong start to life at Stoke City.

Named in the Scotland squad for the first time last month, the ex-Dundee centre-back made his international debut off the bench in the final minutes of the 2-0 away win against North Macedonia in Skopje last month. However, he’s now in line for a first start after both Stephen Welsh and Luis Binks were forced to withdraw due to injury.

A standout performer at the heart of Dundee’s defence last season, he earned a £2million move to Stoke in the summer, and he has flourished under the tutelage of manager Mark Robins. A regular in their backline, he’s been one of the key performers for a Potters team that sits third in the table after 15 games.

Graham has made a big impression at Stoke City since his £2million move in the summer. | Getty Images

Restricted to just two minutes of action on his debut international camp, former EFL Championship striker and current pundit Kevin Phillips has been extremely impressed by Graham’s start to life in the English second tier and believes he can consider himself unlucky not to be given more game time by Pocognoli last month.

“I would like to see Luke Graham get more minutes for Scotland given his form,” said Phillips. “When you talk about players going away on international duty, I've been there. You go away, you're doing well at your club, you're flying, and you go away, and you only get two minutes. I didn't get any minutes in Euro 2000 for England coming off the back of a Golden Boot-winning season.”

The withdrawals of Swansea City’s Welsh and Brondby captain Binks have resulted in surprise international recalls for LAFC’s Ryan Porteous and Amedspor’s David Bates as Pocognoli looks to bolster his stretched defensive options. However, while the former boasts more international experience with 13 caps, Phillips insists that Graham’s form should put him ahead of others when the team face off with North Macedonia at Hampden Park.

“Luke Graham was probably frustrated in the last camp,” Phillips told Best Betting Sites. “All he can do is go away and play well for his club, and he's done that. Hopefully now he's knocking on the manager's door and asking for more minutes. So yeah, I would say he deserves a bit more of a chance, and hopefully after these next games he certainly gets that, because he's more than capable of playing at that level.”

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