Stuart Armstrong has been drafted into the Scotland squad after Sheffield United striker Oli McBurnie sustained an injury.
Twitter: Scotland squad update:
IN: Stuart Armstrong.
OUT: Oli McBurnie. https://t.co/ejiTUjTcyU (@ScotlandNT)
The midfielder was left out in the cold, with John Fleck taking his place in the creative attacking berths, but Steve Clarke has seen fit to reintegrate him into his plans.
Scotland take on Russia and San Marino in their upcoming European Championship qualifying matches, and Armstrong will be desperate to prove his worth on the international stage once again.
Read Southampton’s verdict
Armstrong’s absence from the initial squad would have certainly come as a source of frustration for the player, but it was hardly an unwarranted snub.
He has been a victim of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s tactics this season, with the Austrian preferring to deploy formations that do not accommodate natural number 10s.
This has led to a shortage of first-team opportunities throughout the opening exchanges of the new campaign, and national team managers should always select their players based on merit rather than prestige.
Nevertheless, it’s good to see Armstrong back in the mix, and he now has a golden chance to prove that Clarke was wrong to exclude him from his first-choice squad for the matches against Russia and San Marino.
