Scotland '99% sure' they will not be left with egg on face in pursuit of new player

Steve Clarke is confident he isn't about to be left with more egg on his face as the Scotland manager waits for his newest recruit’s paperwork to be rubber stamped.

Once bitten, twice shy is a phrase that ought to apply in the case of the Scotland manager, who has been left disappointed before in his quest to broaden the national side’s range of options, in the forward area in particular.

The latest player to be approached is former England Under- 20 forward George Hirst, who has scored three goals for Ipswich Town so far this season. Although he was not named in Clarke’s squad for the forthcoming Nations League play-off tie against Greece, Hirst could yet be drafted in.

George Hirst plays for Ipswich Town in the English Premier League. | Getty Images

Clarke explained there has been a delay in the complicated paperwork required when switching national sides. The issue should be resolved imminently and possibly even in time for the 26-year-old to be involved against Greece.

“There are still club games to go before we meet up as a squad, there is always the chance of someone else getting injured,” said Clarke, who anticipates no nasty surprises when it comes to Hirst's intentions.

Although the manager has had success in this department before, most notably when Che Adams switched from England to Scotland prior to Euro 2020, he has learned to leave nothing to chance.

The most obvious example in this regard is the case of Elliott Anderson. The then Newcastle United midfielder actually joined up with a Scotland squad for games against England and Cyprus in 2022 but dropped out because of a reported injury. He later let it be known that he had had a change of heart and wanted to keep his options open.

Now at Nottingham Forest, Anderson was playing in the game against Ipswich that Clarke recently attended as he continued to run the rule over Hirst. The striker scored in the 1-1 draw and Clarke is unsurprisingly keen to get him involved as quickly as possible.

As well as Anderson, Scotland have in the past also been linked with Harvey Barnes, also at Newcastle United. The winger has played once for England and though there were strong indications that he wanted to switch nationality at the end of 2023, a knee injury derailed him at club level and talk of him being part of Clarke’s plans has since died down. Two other Newcastle players with Scottish connections, Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento, were also rumoured to be Scotland targets but have since both been capped by England.

Scotland manager Steve Clarke. | Getty Images

Clarke, who says he first approached Hirst a month ago, has stressed that he expects no Anderson-type U-turn from Hirst, who has played for England at Under 17, 18 and 20 levels. His father David, also a striker, won three full caps for England, scoring once.

“George will come (to Greece) if we get the paperwork through,” said Clarke. “If we had got it through for this camp, he would have been in this squad.

“He wants to play international football. We offer him that chance. You can never say 100 per cent but I’ll say I’m 99 per cent convinced that as and when George is selected for the squad, he will turn up.

“We had our first conversation about a month ago,” he added. “He comes across as a very nice person. He wants to be here.”