Scotland squad dealt double injury blow with Celtic star among withdrawals as Clarke calls up uncapped duo

Steve Clarke has called up a further two uncapped players for the upcoming Nations League double header after suffering further blow with another two squad withdrawals.

Scotland are due to face Croatia in Zagreb on Saturday as they resume their Nations League A campaign before they return to Hampden Park for a mammoth clash with Portugal quickly following on Tuesday as they look to halt a run that has saw them win just one of their last 13 games.

Clarke will be forced to make do without two of his original call-ups for the fixtures after Celtic left-back Greg Taylor and first choice goalkeeper Angus Gunn were ruled out with injuries they picked up last week.

In their place comes in-form Aberdeen full-back Jack MacKenzie, who will become the fourth uncapped player to earn his first call up to the senior squad, joining fellow Dons defender Nicky Devlin after who has had a fine start to the season at Pittodrie himself. A direct replacement for Taylor, MacKenzie will compete with Andy Robertson for a spot at left-back.

Aberdeen's Jack Mackenzie. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

The second addition to Clarke's squad is Kilmarnock goalkeeper Robby McCrorie, who missed the last squad with an injury himself. The ex-Rangers stopper has been a regular in the senior set-up, but is yet to earn his first cap, despite being part of numerous Scotland squads since he was first included by Clarke in September 2020.

The two call-ups mean there is a potential for six players to make their internationals bows, with MacKenzie and McCrorie joining Liam Lindsay, Jon McCracken, Andy Irving and Devlin as the squad’s uncapped players.

While the inclusion of several new faces provides an opportunity for newcomers to stake a deserved place in the team, Clarke will be disappointed that he is still without several established stars. The Scottish head coach is without five others for the Nations League games, with Kieran Tierney (hamstring), Scott McKenna (hamstring), Nathan Patterson (muscle), Lewis Ferguson (ACL), Jack Hendry (knee), John McGinn (hamstring) and Tommy Conway all out injured.