Steve Clarke on his Scotland squad surprises, George Hirst situation and competition to call up 18y/o starlet

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke addressed the media on Tuesday following the announcement of his 23-man squad for the Nations League play-off double-header against Greece.

Clarke has made the surprise decision to call up teenagers Lennon Miller and James Wilson of Motherwell and Hearts respectively, while there are recalls for Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney and Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson, who return from injury. Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet, who was last capped in June 2023, also returns to the squad following a recent purple patch.

Here is what the Scotland boss had to say...

Scotland head coach Steve Clarke has named a 23-man squad for the Nations League play-off against Greece. | SNS Group

On the call-ups for James Wilson and Lennon Miller

“Obviously there have been a lot of call-offs, a lot of injuries, especially in the middle to forward areas. So I just felt it was a chance to have a look at two young boys who have caught the eye, Lennon over the last 18 months and James over the last six months. It is a chance to have a look at them in the squad, see how they fit in. They are two for the future, but they can also help us just now.”

“I have obviously had more chance to watch Lennon. He plays with maturity beyond his years, he captains his club, which is a big thing at such a young age. He has good qualities, he can play deep in midfield or he can play higher in midfield. He has a good delivery, box-to-box, he has good energy. Now we have to see if he can fit in among the group. I am sure he has got a big future in front of him and it is our job to look after him and try and bring him along. Hopefully this will be the start of it.

“It is similar with James. He is somebody who catches your eye. He runs in behind, he looks to score goals. That is a great trait, we are always looking for goalscorers. He has got a few in the Premiership this year. He has got in the team, he has stayed in the team. I actually brought him into one of the camps last year. We were short of bodies and we brought a couple of young ones into the camp and James was one of them. He caught our eye just in a short training session. He has obviously caught the eye of the people at Hearts. He is playing week in week out. He has got good pace about him, good enthusiasm. He is another one who I think can have a big future, but for now he has to come into the squad and see how he measures up.”

Hearts' James Wilson has earned a maiden call-up to the senior Scotland squad | SNS Group

Was there competition for James from Northern Ireland?

“So I believe.”

Did it play into your mind to cap him early?

“No because Under 21 doesn’t really tie them to the country, unless they get a multitude of caps. I’d need to check the rules on that one. But if he is a good player and he qualifies for other countries then they will be looking at him aswell.”

On the return of Kieran Tierney and Lewis Ferguson

“It is always good to get your good players back. Both of them are very good players. They have been unlucky with injury. Fingers crossed they can come back and have an injury free year and help us to stay in the Nations League and qualify for the World Cup. Those are the two objectives for the campaign – to stay in the top flight of the Nations League and qualify for the World Cup.”

Is this a big year for the national team?

“World Cup qualification is always a big year. Come the autumn those games are massive. We all understand how much everybody in the country wants to go to a World Cup. Before we get there there’s also big games. The players worked ever so hard in the Nations League section, it took us a bit of time to find our feet in the group but we finished the group really well.

“We want to build on that. Stay at the top level and be competitive against the top teams. To do that we are going to have to beat a good Greece side over two games.”

Greece have only lost two in 12...

“They are a good team. They defend well and don’t give many goals away. They score goals, good defensively, can play through the middle, really good on counter attacks, their away performances particularly catch the eye. Any team that goes to Wembley and beats England is always going to catch your eye. We expect two tough games.”

Kevin Nisbet.. could you have chosen him and Lawrence Shankland?

“I could have chosen both. But Kevin has scored a couple of goals recently and sometimes when a striker starts scoring goals it becomes a habit. Hopefully with Kevin that’s the case.”

Ipswich's George Hirst is on Scotland's radar. | Getty Images

What is the situation with George Hirst?

“It’s possible he could still be added to this squad. There was a delay in the paperwork. There are still club games to go before we meet up as a squad, there is always the chance of someone else getting injured. Hopefully not because we have suffered enough injuries.

“George is someone we have had in mind for a few months. I’ve watched him recently. He is in and out of the Ipswich team, he has played in the cup games. He scored against Forest and I was spotted on the telly at the game. It didn’t take a genius to work out who I was there to watch because he was the only one on the pitch qualified to play for Scotland. He is a player who would help give us more depth to that position if we can do it.

On the goalkeeper situation

“Angus Gunn is injured again, he has tweaked his hamstring. He is going to be out for two or three weeks. Looking at the back-up goalkeepers to Craig [Gordon], the choice wasn’t great if I’m being honest. Because most of them don’t play for their clubs.

“But Liam [Kelly] has had some recent football at Rangers when Jack Butland was out injured and I thought he did very well. So he deserves his place back in the squad.

“I’ve started looking at younger keepers. Cieran [Slicker] came into the squad in November and he trained and worked well. He’s not playing at Ipswich but he’s one I will keep in and around the squad. He’s good around the group.”

“If Craig keeps doing what he is doing, he will be in my squads.”