Steve Clarke ‘not closing door’ on absentees from first Scotland squad

• New coach intends to ‘make players know they are wanted’
• His first squad has combined tally of 14 international goals

Steve Clarke has said he will not take a hardline approach towards players who have made themselves unavailable for Scotland. A week after becoming the national manager, Clarke’s squad for next month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Cyprus and Belgium was notable for the number of absentees. Such situations were commonplace during the tenure of his predecessor, Alex McLeish.

John Fleck has been given dispensation to miss the matches because he is getting married. Steven Fletcher is being rested as he manages ankle issues. Robert Snodgrass and Matt Ritchie remain absent from the Scotland scene but Clarke has been boosted by the availability of Tom Cairney, who it was thought planned to switch allegiance to England.

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from Football | The Guardian http://bit.ly/30JkGAS