Steve Clarke hails Aston Villa coach as he leaves Scotland role

It emerged over the weekend that the 44-year-old Villa set-piece coach had quit after three years’ involvement with the national team due to his father’s illness.

“First of all, it’s a big blow for us that Austin’s stepped aside,” said manager Clarke. “But it’s a bigger blow for Austin and his family obviously.

“He’s got difficult times ahead and we certainly wish them well, especially his father who’s going to have a tough time. So hopefully that works out for them.”

Former Albion boss Clarke admits it will be difficult for Scotland to replace MacPhee, who will continue in his role at Villa Park.

“Austin was great for me,” said Clarke. “He took a lot of workload away with the set-plays.

“As well as a set-play coach, Austin is also a proficient coach. He reads the game well.

“We always have good conversations, and he’s a Scotland fan. It was great to have his enthusiasm in and around the camp. He felt every defeat badly and he felt every win fantastically, so he’s a big miss for us. Short-term, it’s difficult to bring in a like-minded replacement. We’ll utilise the coaches that I’ve got.

“I’m going to use another analyst, a set-piece analyst. We’ll see what we can come up with this camp and assess the situation as we go along.”

Scotland travel to Croatia in the Uefa Nations League on October 12, followed by a home clash with Portugal three days later.

Villa skipper John McGinn has been ruled out of the Scotland squad with a hamstring injury suffered in the 3-1 home victory over Wolves last month.