Scotland’s Steve Clarke: Managing Injuries for a Strong EU 2024 Performance

Steve Clarke, the head coach of Scotland, has announced that John Souttar, Scott McTominay, and Stuart Armstrong will not be participating in the friendly match against Gibraltar on Monday. According to Clarke, McTominay was substituted after just 25 minutes in the FA Cup final due to an issue, while Armstrong has been sidelined since being stretchered off last month. Souttar also missed the final three games of the season for Rangers.

Clarke expressed confidence that the trio will be available for selection in the upcoming friendly with Finland on Friday. However, there are some players who won’t make it to Euro 2024. Lyndon Dykes has been ruled out due to an ankle injury sustained during training. Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson, who play as right-wing backs, are also out with hamstring injuries and did not make the 28-man provisional squad.

The squad includes players who may not have seen much game time in recent months, but Clarke emphasized that this friendly against Gibraltar will provide an opportunity for these players to get minutes on the pitch. With some players returning from long-term injuries, the focus will be on balancing minutes to ensure a good performance and result.

Clarke mentioned that it’s important to manage the players who may not have gotten the desired minutes towards the end of the club season, with the goal of getting them up to speed for the upcoming tournament. The friendly match against Gibraltar will serve as a chance to give valuable playing time to those who need it.