Steve Clarke considers Scotland’s attacking options after losing Lyndon Dykes – The Irish News

Scotland manager Steve Clarke is still considering whether to recall another striker – and which one – following the withdrawal of Lyndon Dykes.

The QPR striker was ruled out of Euro 2024 on Saturday, 24 hours after injuring his ankle in training.

The blow leaves Clarke with only Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland as recognized centre-forwards in his 27-man squad, which is to be reduced to 26 after Scotland’s final warm-up match against Finland on Friday night.

Liverpool winger Ben Doak played a central attacking role for Scotland’s Under-21s, but the club’s 18-year-old campaign ended with a knee injury in December and he is still recovering. to upgrade.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference in Portugal ahead of Monday’s friendly against Gibraltar, Clarke said: “I’ve given myself two or three days just to think about it.

“There is no comparable replacement for Lyndon as he brings his own qualities. I don’t really believe in like. Lyndon brings his qualities, obviously we don’t have them.

“I’ll take a little look at what’s going on, decide what to do with the team and we’ll go from there.”

Asked if he would definitely bring in another striker, Clarke replied: “That’s why I’m thinking about it.”

Clarke had previously hinted he would turn to the Scotland Under-21 team if late call-ups were required.

This could put Tommy Conway in pole position given the Bristol City striker is in Scot Gemmill’s squad ahead of a friendly in Turkey on Monday. The 21-year-old scored 12 goals for the Sky Bet Championship side last season.

However, Clarke is considering other scenarios and is looking to the Under-21s.

“That might be what I would do, but not necessarily,” he said. “It’s something we think about all the time. We love having a connection with the young Scottish team. I like to show that there is a path to the A team from the under-21s onwards.

“But obviously you have to consider all options and that’s what I will.”

Clarke’s main concern in recent days has been the loss of Dykes, who has scored nine goals in 36 international appearances.

“We’re all very disappointed for Lyndon, obviously,” he said. “Boys who get injured earlier have a little more time to recover. Lyndon arrives at the last minute before going to the tournament.

“And he was a good player for us, a key player. One of the best phone conversations I ever had was when I rang him and gave him the opportunity to come and play for Scotland rather than Australia. Fortunately, he chose us.

“That was four years ago and I think the path the national team has taken since then is mostly an upward trend. I’m grateful for what he’s done so far, sad that he is missing this tournament, but I look forward to working with him again in the future.

Dykes was carried off on a stretcher during Friday’s practice session.

“It was an ankle injury,” Clarke said. “No contact, just the way he landed, the way he fell on it. This unfortunately happens. Earlier in the session, Lyndon made a similar move and nothing happened. It’s like that.

“You have to be quite resilient as a coach, manager and player and realize that things move forward, and that’s what we did.”

Besides Dykes, Clarke has a full squad after Greg Taylor and Scott McKenna met following additional time off, but some players will have more time to overcome injuries.

“Stuart Armstrong, Scott McTominay and John Souttar won’t play this game, but I’m pretty confident they will all be good for the next game,” Clarke said.

“For me it’s an opportunity to get a few minutes on the pitch for some players, maybe a bit of an unfamiliar lineup in terms of who starts the game.

“We still have one or two people coming back from long-term injuries, so we’re being careful to manage the minutes.

“It’s a little balancing act to make sure you get a good performance and a good result.

“Some of them maybe didn’t get the minutes they wanted towards the end of the club’s season, so hopefully we can give them a few that will put them on notice for the tournament. -even.”