Scotland Men’s Football Team – BBC Sport

Craig Gordon is determined to reclaim the Scotland number one jersey for Saturday’s Nations League match in Croatia just four months after fearing his international career was over.

The 41-year-old was cut from Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad a week before the tournament began, with Angus Gunn, Liam Kelly and his Hearts colleague Zander Clark getting the nod to go to Germany.

With none of the Euros trio in the current squad – Gunn withdrawing due to injury and Clark and Kelly left out as a result of not playing at club level – Gordon is expected to win his 76th cap by being chosen ahead of uncapped duo Jon McCracken and Robby McCrorie to make his first Scotland start in almost two years.

“I just want to see where we go over this week, try and get myself in the team for the first game over in Croatia and see where it goes,” said Gordon.

“There’s no long-term thoughts other than just trying to play the next game and if I manage to play that one, then the one after that. It’s really as short-term as that at the moment.

“Most other countries have probably gone through that [changing goalkeepers] a lot more. We’ve just had a very stable, settled group of goalkeepers over the last 20 years, and perhaps even longer.

“It’s our turn to maybe be in the middle of that with injuries and players not playing.”

Gordon’s return to the national team comes after ousting Clark as first choice at Hearts amid a “strange” time, with the Tynecastle club winless and bottom of the Premiership after eight games.

“Winning games would help, keeping clean sheets would help, but it’s been a difficult period for everybody,” he added.

“I’ve been making saves in games and we’ve still been losing, so it’s not going to get highlighted as much as it would if you contribute to a winning performance.

“It’s a very strange time. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a run quite like this at any stage of my career, so it’s a bit new to me to go on a run as bad as this. It’s not nice.

“I want to get back to winning matches and then I’ll feel a bit better about myself, regardless of personal performances.”