Scotland confirm Lyndon Dykes Euro 2024 squad withdrawal as Steve Clarke left with big decisions

Manager must decide whether to bring in another forward after QPR’s training-ground blow

Scotland will be without striker Lyndon Dykes for Euro 2024, the Scottish Football Association has confirmed.

Dykes picked up a knee injury during a training session at Lesser Hampden on Friday and after the Queens Park Rangers forward underwent scans, it was decided that he will not be able to take part in the tournament. It is a hammer blow for the player and manager Steve Clarke, who was considering starting the target man in Scotland’s Euro 2024 opener against Germany on Friday, June 14.

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Dykes has been capped 36 times by Scotland and has scored nine goals for his country. A physically imposing striker who is good in the air, his absence leaves a big void in the Scotland squad. Clarke still has Che Adams, Lawrence Shankland and Ben Doak in his squad as forward options and must now decide whether to bring in another striker to compete with them. Uncapped Tommy Conway of Bristol City is in the under-21 squad preparing for matches against Turkey and Austria next week, while Southampton’s Ross Stewart – just back from his own long-term injury – could also emerge as an option.

Lyndon Dykes has been ruled out of Euro 2024 by injury.Lyndon Dykes has been ruled out of Euro 2024 by injury.
Lyndon Dykes has been ruled out of Euro 2024 by injury.

A brief statement from the SFA read: “Following an injury in training yesterday, Lyndon Dykes has been ruled out of the squad for UEFA EURO 2024. We’re gutted for you, Lyndon, but know you’ll be back in a Scotland shirt soon. Wishing you a speedy recovery.”

Scotland are in action on Monday night in their first warm-up match against Gibraltar in Faro, before facing Finland at Hampden on Friday. They are in Group A of the tournament with hosts Germany, Switzerland and Hungary.

Speaking before Dykes’ withdrawal was officially announced on Saturday, Scotland team-mate Ryan Christie said of the training incident: “All the boys were gutted for Lyndon, it was a kind of freak thing to happen. It’s the last thing you want, Lyndon has been off a while now because of the Championship. I’m quite close to him so I know how hard he worked in his weeks off to prepare for this tournament.

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“Listen, it’s one of those things and there’s not much me or any of the other boys can say to him at this moment in time. We’re just trying to get behind him and I’m sure he’ll still be supporting us. If Lyndon doesn’t make it will that make us even more determined? Absolutely, it would add another reason for us to go and do well, for him and for the rest of the country. We have had a few injuries leading into this so it has been frustrating. But there’s a real camaraderie among the squad, we’re a close group.”

Dykes’ injury adds to the absences of right-backs Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson, who failed to make the original 28-man squad due to hamstring issues, and midfielder Lewis Ferguson, who injured his knee for Bologna in April and required surgery on his ACL.

Clarke is due to submit his final 26-man squad next week before Friday’s UEFA deadline.

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