Doak call-up ‘huge motivation’ for Scotland Under-21s – Gemmill

Scot Gemmill says Ben Doak’s inclusion in the provisional squad for Euro 2024 provides a “huge motivation” to Scotland’s Under-21 players to impress Steve Clarke.

Liverpool forward Doak, 18, has six caps for Gemmill’s Under-21s and has earned his first call-up to Clarke’s squad for the finals in Germany next month.

With some fitness concerns present, he revealed any stand-by players would come from Gemmill’s Scotland Under-21 squad which was named on Thursday morning for upcoming friendlies against Turkey and Austria.

“I think it is really exciting,” Gemmill said. “Steve spoke about it yesterday, with the squad obviously raised to 26, he named 28, it is a provisional squad so I think it is really exciting and a brilliant opportunity for him, same as all the other players.”

On the potential for more of his squad, which includes the likes of Josh Doig, Connor Barron, Max Johnston and Tommy Conway, to join Doak, Gemmill said: “It is huge motivation and it is fantastic that they know the national team manager is watching the Under-21s so closely.

“We said many times, he knows better than anybody, who is in the squad, what level they are at and the potential that they have and, as he said, anything can happen in football so the players have to be ready.

“The players are very intelligent, they will have watched Steve speaking and are watching the senior squad very closely.

“There will be players in our squad disappointed that they are not in Steve’s squad and I think that’s good, that’s healthy.

“We want to be working with players with that mentality and they need to keep pushing, they know that.”