Steve Clarke facing Scotland Euro 2024 squad dilemmas - England trio, Ben Doak, lack of club game-time, 'a lot can change'

Scotland boss admits “a lot can change” before he names his 23-man squad for Euro 2024

Steve Clarke will select a 23-man Scotland squad for Euro 2024. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

Tino Livramento was the latest name doing the rounds. The Newcastle United wide player started in the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund having also featured in the first XI in his side’s 3-0 win over Manchester United the previous week.

“Get him in”! “What’s Clarke playing at?” “No time to waste!” This was the gist of the comments on social media.

It just so happened that Clarke was due at Hampden the following day to name his latest Scotland squad and when he did it was noteworthy just how, well, un-noteworthy his selection was, even when presented with the chance for experimentation due to injuries.

Harvey Barnes has one England cap but can still switch to Scotland ahead of Euro 2024. (Photo by Nick Potts - Pool/Getty Images)

Deprived of as many as five “front-line defenders”, as he described it, Clarke recalled Anthony Ralston and dipped into the Under 21s for Josh Doig, which went some way towards satisfying those desperate for something a bit different.

There was still nothing as exotic as a Livramento. There was no Elliot Anderson, his Newcastle teammate – with that ship seeming certain to have sailed.

And while this strange episode might only merit a footnote in future reviews of Clarke's time at the helm, it could prove significant in terms of the manager's desire to stage any future raids on those occupying an international halfway house. Once bitten, twice shy and all that.

Harvey Barnes, of course, is not even in a halfway house. As it stands, he is a bona fide England player with one cap, earned in a friendly against Wales three years ago. Perhaps more pertinently, he is currently out with a long-term ankle injury.

Even if Clarke does receive a cast-iron assurance that Barnes is available, the manager might be unwilling to sanction all the relevant paperwork for someone whose fitness will remain in question at the start of next year.

The next time Clarke sits in front of reporters with a sheet of names in front of him will be in March, when he announces his squad for two friendlies against two as yet unnamed countries.

"A Pot One level team and maybe a Pot Three team," he said, with one likely to be at home and one away. Two more games are almost certain to follow in May/June. Again, one is likely to be at Hampden in what would double as a send-off, two words guaranteed to send shivers down the spine of Tartan Army members of a certain age.

"Certainly not with the bus going round the park – and no opposition on the pitch," smiled Clarke, alert to what happened in 1978 – indeed, he was one of the well-wishers who packed Hampden to say farewell to Ally MacLeod's doomed squad prior to the Argentina World Cup. "We will try and play a game this time."

If any bolts of the blue a la Che Adams in 2021 are to be added to Clarke’s squad, they will have to be recruited by then.

Adams was parachuted in for three World Cup qualifiers played in March prior to the last European Championships in 2021 in a Covid-jumbled schedule. There is therefore time to get to the bottom of Barnes’ apparent desire to switch from England to Scotland.

As it is, Clarke’s main problem appears to be trimming his squad ahead of next year’s finals. Last time, again due to Covid, he was permitted to name 26 players, which provided more leeway to include Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson. Further space was made available due to injuries to Kenny McLean and Ryan Jack. Bar more misfortune, it seems inconceivable that McLean and Jack won't be on the plane to Germany this time around.

Clarke stated how happy he is with the current group after the France defeat in October. "Everyone is always trying to get me to pick other people," he complained.

He has prepared for the size restrictions of his Euros squad by naming 23 players for the concluding qualifiers against Georgia and Norway. Absent are mainstays Andy Robertson, Aaron Hickey and Kieran Tierney. Then there is Grant Hanley, who is on the comeback trail with Norwich City and is one of Clarke's favourites.

With Kevin Nisbet and Lawrence Shankland seemingly out of favour there is, perhaps, one spot alongside Adams, Lyndon Dykes and Ryan Christie in the forwards department, currently occupied by Luton Town’s Jacob Brown, that isn’t nailed down.

It could be filled by Barnes – with the 'could' doing a lot of work in that sentence. It might be filled by Ben Doak, the 17-year-old Liverpool forward who many wanted to see in the squad announced by Clarke last week. One reason for the manager’s reluctance was underlined in Toulouse a couple of days later when Doak was replaced at half-time of his side’s 3-2 Europa League defeat.

There's still time for the teenager, or anyone else, to make a late play. There's also time for others to play their way out - or, indeed, not play their way out as the case may be.

“A lot can change,” said Clarke. “There’s one or two who are not playing week in, week out with their clubs and that is something that needs addressed moving forward."

He has already spoken about goalkeeper Robby McCrorie's situation at Rangers. Nathan Patterson, meanwhile, is in and out of the side at Everton. Even Adams isn't a certain starter at Southampton.

As for the task currently at hand, Clarke wants to avoid the fate of Alex McLeish and Gordon Strachan in coming to grief in Tbilisi, even though the stakes are not as high. Georgia were disposed of on a wet and very long night in June and although the opponents left with (justified) complaints, Clarke does not believe Squeegee-gate will influence Thursday night’s outcome. Georgia already have ample motivation.

“I’d imagine Georgia will look at it and think they can catch Norway,” said Clarke. “That might help us because they’d then need a result in Spain.

“I don’t think (what happened at) Hampden will have too much bearing on it. I’d forgotten we finished a game at midnight!” As for Clarke, it’s getting late as well with reference to next summer's finals, which are now just over 200 days away.

Don’t expect too many surprises in the coming months as he shapes his squad for Germany.