Steve Clarke on why Kieran Tierney is in his Scotland squad

Scotland resume their World Cup qualifying push with matches against Greece and Belarus at Hampden, having started the campaign with four points from two games—a 0-0 draw in Denmark and a 2-0 victory over Belarus on neutral ground in Hungary.

As with last month’s squad announcement, Celtic defender Anthony Ralston joins Kieran Tierney in the Scotland setup, with both players overcoming recent injuries to make themselves available for international duty.

Following the squad announcement, Clarke spoke to the media yesterday afternoon about Tierney’s inclusion, particularly regarding any fitness guarantees provided by Celtic.

Speaking via STV News YouTube channel, Clarke said: “I tend not to contact clubs. I watch the minutes that the players are getting. Kieran’s been fit and managed a full game against Parick Thistle in the League Cup, which is good. There are no issues.”

The Scotland manager added: “I think, for Kieran, he is in a recovery process from suffering a lot of long-term injuries. He is working his way back. He was part of the last squad but had to pull out with an injury he had picked up in the Glasgow Derby game before the last camp. He’s fit now, and he’s back in the squad.”

Since debuting for Scotland in 2016, Tierney has earned 50 caps, while his Celtic teammate Ralston who first represented the national team in 2021, has featured 21 times, with each player registering one goal.

It may prove to be difficult for the Celtic duo to be in Clarke’s starting XI for the two matches given that Andy Robertson and Aaron Hickey are the two first-choice full-backs.

If Scotland come away with six points across the two games, there will be a feeling that World Cup qualification will be in sight. An interesting few weeks is in store on the international stage for Tierney, Ralston and the rest of the Scotland squad.

Conor Spence

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