Rangers star 'good enough' to start for Scotland as ex-Hearts coach lifts lid on Lawrence Shankland decision 'some people didn't want'

Duo tipped to give Steve Clarke food for thought ahead of finals in Germany

Lawrence Shankland and John Souttar during a Scotland training session at Lesser Hampden, on March 19, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Lee McCulloch believes “big-game player” John Souttar is now firmly in contention to start for Scotland at the European Championships.

The 27-year-old’s career has been heavily disrupted by serious injuries and he has been restricted to just seven caps as a result. But after his first season at Rangers was written off by fitness issues, the former Dundee United and Hearts centre-back has become a first choice under Philippe Clement since the turn of the year.

Former Hearts assistant McCulloch coached Souttar for two years at Tynecastle between 2020 and 2022 before he earned his move to Gers and the 45-year-old feels the right-sided defender is now ready to push Watford’s Ryan Porteous for a starting berth at the Euros.

“John Souttar, without a shadow of a doubt, is back to a level where he’s good enough to start for Scotland,” McCulloch said as he helped launch a July friendly between Manchester United and Rangers at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium.

“I think John has kicked on since he got into the Rangers team. Any time he gets an injury it knocks him back, but if John gets a run of games, which he showed with Hearts and he’s now showing with Rangers, he’s a big-game player.

“He’s got confidence in his ability and he’s a humble, hard-working guy. He’s one of the best defenders in the league with the ball at his feet and he can also defend the box. I thought he was arguably the best player on the pitch in the home game against Benfica last week.

“When you see the level he’s at now, you just wonder where he’d be if he hadn’t had all those injuries.”

Souttar’s former Hearts team-mate Lawrence Shankland is also firmly in the mix to be named in Steve Clarke’s final 23 for the tournament after scoring 55 goals since Robbie Neilson and McCulloch pushed to bring him to Tynecastle in the summer of 2022 following a spell in Belgium with Beerschot.

“Shanks is somebody I always watched even when he was at Ayr,” said McCulloch. “He’s something the Scottish league hasn’t had for a while, a proven Scottish goal-scorer.

“We signed him for Dundee United (in 2019) and he hit the ground running there. Then he went away (to Belgium) and the team he was at were struggling so we saw it as an opportunity to get him back.

“It was a no-brainer for me when I was speaking to Robbie about taking him to Hearts. Joe Savage (sporting director) was brilliant in making it happen. We knew Hearts hadn’t had a 20-plus goal-scoring striker for years and years and we identified Shanks as that guy and he’s gone on to do that.

“I think he’s taken a bit of confidence from becoming captain. There were some people who didn’t want us to make him captain, but after speaking to Robbie, he was the perfect choice. The boys love him and he leads by example.

“I’m still in touch with him and I’d love him to be going to the Euros firstly and secondly to go and do well there. I don’t see why he can’t start for Scotland.

“He’s scored goals for Scotland, he’s scored in Europe, he’s scored against the Old Firm home and away, he’s another big-game player. I think he can start but it all depends on the way Steve Clarke wants to play.”