Football
Steve Clarke set to make another late addition to Scotland squad
STEVE CLARKE is set to make another late change to his Scotland squad, with Aberdeen star Kevin Nisbet in line for a call-up, according to a report.
The 27-year-old striker has 11 caps to his name and will bring the number of Dons men in the squad up to three for the Nations League double-header against Croatia and Portugal.
Nisbet joined the Pittodrie side on loan from Millwall in August and has found the net three times in six appearances so far under Jimmy Thelin.
He joins fellow Aberdeen players Nicky Devlin and Jack MacKenzie in the squad.
According to the Daily Record, it’s understood Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland has arrived at camp with a niggling injury, therefore Clarke has added another body to bolster his options up top.
Clarke currently has Jambos skipper Shankland plus Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams as his strikers for the Nations League Group A1 matches.
Nisbet missed out on Euro 2024 due to injury and has struggled to make an impact in the Championship since his £2million transfer to The Den.
The former Hibs man admitted upon returning to Scottish football that one of his main targets was to force his way back into the national team setup.
And he had the Aberdeen faithful rejoicing about winning the league after his late winner against Ross County a week after signing for the club.
He showed his poacher’s instinct as he timed his run into the box perfectly to meet a cross from Shayden Morris to seal the three points.
That type of form has seen him recalled ahead of the likes of Oliver McBurnie, who was tipped for a return to the squad by Rangers and Scotland legend Ally McCoist.
Now living it up in La Liga with Las Palmas – including an impressive outing against Real Madrid – McCoist reckons the 28-year-old could add to his 16 caps.
He said: “McBurnie was left out of the Scotland squad for Euro 2024, but scoring goals was a problem area for them in that tournament.
“Lyndon Dykes was a big miss and outside of that we only had Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland.
“McBurnie must be thinking that if he can get a few goals and keep getting assists in La Liga, then he’ll be back in the squad.”
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