Scotland crisis deepens as striker pulls out of Euros squad with ‘freak’ injury

Scotland star Lyndon Dykes has been ruled out of Euro 2024 after a serious injury suffered in training.

The QPR forward was stretchered off as the Scotland squad met up for Euro 2024 on Friday afternoon.

It leaves Steve Clarke with just two recognised strikers in his injury-stricken provisional 28-man squad – Hearts star Lawrence Shankland and Southampton’s Che Adams.

To rub salt in more wounds, the injury to Dykes, who has been a key player for the Tartan Army through the Euro qualifiers, was a bizarre accident.

Scotland star Ryan Christie said: “All the boys are gutted for Lyndon yesterday as it was a freak thing to happen. We have had a few injuries leading into the summer, so it’s frustrating.

“Dykesy has been off for a while now after the Championship season. I am quite close with him and I know how hard he worked in his weeks off.

“It is just one of those things and there is not much that me or the other boys can say to him right now.

“We are just trying to get behind him and support him, and I’m sure he will be supporting on.”

Fears first arose that Dykes could have suffered a serious injury on Friday afternoon after he was stretchered off in training with Scotland set to face Gibraltar in a friendly.

The 28-year-old played every game of Scotland’s Euro qualifiers, netting a total of nine times in 36 caps.

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Clarke’s men open the tournament against hosts Germany on June 14 while the Scotland boss has already suffered a number of injuries.

Everton star Nathan Patterson, Bologna captain Lewis Ferguson and Brentford ace Aaron Hickey are all missing this summer.

And there are further concerns over Southampton’s Stuart Armstrong and Rangers defender John Souttar, who trained away from the main group after missing the end of the season with their respective clubs.

Key quartet Scott McTominay, Scott McKenna, Greg Taylor and Ben Doak were all absent from the first day of training.

Liverpool ace Doak, who has not played once for Scotland, was a surprise inclusion in the squad, having only resumed training with the Reds recently after knee surgery in December.