Steve Clarke considering Scotland formation change after Kieran Tierney blow as Lawrence Shankland omission explained

See you in Germany. That was the message Steve Clarke received from Kieran Tierney during an exchange of texts in the aftermath of the cruel hamstring injury sustained by the left back last weekend.

Steve Clarke (right) will have to make do without Kieran Tierney for Scotland's upcoming fixtures against Spain and France. (Photo by Alan Harvey / SNS Group)

Clarke admitted the player was “still getting his head around” the diagnosis, which sees him ruled out for the rest of the year at least. Tierney picked up the injury during his latest outing for Real Sociedad in the Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao.

It was only his fourth La Liga appearance since joining the Spanish club on loan from Arsenal. The timing is desperate for both the player and Scotland.

Clarke’s side travel to Seville next week to take on Spain in a crucial Euro 2024 qualifier. Tierney starred in the home clash against the same opponents as Scotland earned a famous 2-0 victory and was relishing the prospect of lining up against the country where he is currently based. A win will see Scotland secure qualification for next summer's finals in Germany.

“It’s disappointing to lose any player,” said Clarke. “In the system we play, Kieran is quite influential. He does a lot defensively and in an attacking sense too. We’ll miss that.

“But the biggest disappointment is for Kieran himself,” he added. “I had a brief text conversation with him and he’s okay. He’s getting his head around it and he promises me he’ll be ready for Germany next summer if we need him.”

Clarke is contemplating switching to a back four in Tierney’s absence given it means that there’s no necessity to fit two world-class left backs into the same XI. A back five becomes almost mandatory when Tierney and Andy Robertson are both available.

“It’s always a possibility,” he said. “I never set it in stone that we’d play with a five. You have to look at the opposition and at the amount of time we’ve got on the training pitch, which is another thing, because with it being a Thursday game (v Spain), it’s a little more difficult to get time on the training pitch than if it’s on a Saturday. But playing with a back four is definitely an option.”

Whether it’s a back five, back four, front two or just one up front, someone else who won’t be featuring is Hearts skipper Lawrence Shankland. It's not injury that's kept the striker out, however.

The manager just wishes to have another look at Luton Town’s Jacob Brown. Clarke is also conscious of having taken Shankland all the way to Cyprus last month for no action. Indeed, he was not even stripped for the 3-0 win. Brown’s return is one of only three changes to the squad.

On the subject of Shankland, Clarke explained: “I just felt that this time, rather than drag him around Europe again, it was probably better to leave him with his club and let him get on with it there.”

Meanwhile, Clarke welcomed the news that the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland are now the sole bidders to host Euro 202. The joint submission is set to be ratified by Uefa’s executive committee next week.

Sadly, it will not mean automatic qualification for the nations in question, not that Clarke is worrying about this yet. “Five years is a long time,” said the manager, who turned 60 in August. “Let me get through this contract first!”