Lawrence Shankland shows what Hearts could miss as veteran does World Cup hopes no harm after ending 125-day exile

Scotland’s big Hampden send-off prior to next month’s World Cup Finals ended in a 4-1 victory as a heavily-rotated side eventually eased past 10-man Curacao.

In what was the squad’s final match on home soil before heading off to the United States, former Hearts talisman Lawrence Shankland, who signed for Scottish Premiership rivals Rangers earlier this week, netted a second half double after his soon-to-be Ibrox team-mate Findlay Curtis had scored his first international goal to equalise just before half-time.

The Caribbean minnows had taken a shock lead through Sheffield United attacker Tahith Chong, with Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie adding a touch of gloss to the score line after converting a late penalty in what was a competitive friendly affair.

Steve Clarke’s side will now jet out to North America on Sunday to acclimatize to the conditions before facing Bolivia in New Jersey next weekend as they round off tournament preparations ahead of facing Haiti in their Group C opener on June 14.

The Edinburgh Evening News kept a watchful eye on two past and present Hearts players, who were named in the starting line-up and in two positions still up for grabs. Here, we assess how they fared...

Gordon does No.1 hopes no harm on return to action

The veteran Hearts goalkeeper was making his long-awaited return to action for the first time since a 2-2 draw with Celtic in January. After months of rehabilitation on a troublesome shoulder injury, the 43-year-old will have been delighted to get some vital minutes under his belt as he continues to build up his fitness levels.

Given the nod over Angus Gunn, this was just his fourth outing since that memorable night against Denmark in November and on the whole he had little cause to work up a sweat. Beaten by Chong’s quality solo finish, there wasn’t a lot Gordon could do to prevent it from finding the back of the net. On this evidence, he still remains Scotland’s most solid option between the sticks.

Shankland delivers to stake strong claim for Haiti start

Well, well... What a time for Rangers’ new signing to come alive. After a relatively quiet first-half showing in which he had very few touches in and around the box, the ex-Hearts skipper has now surely nailed down one of the forward positions for the clash against Haiti.

Always willing to drop deep, demand the ball and bringing others into play, Shankland’s two well-taken strikes capped off what was a statement display. His second half performance epitomised why he should be the man Clarke puts his faith to lead the line in next month.

Shankland’s first goal came from a well-worked short corner that came straight off the training ground. He made it look simple, when in fact, the finish was far from straightforward. He knew exactly where to put it after creating space to control Ryan Christie’s pass.

His second was another sublime finish from a fabulous first-time pass from substitute Lyndon Dykes, with the pair linking up really well and giving Clarke plenty to think about heading into the World Cup.

A striker with bags of talent and a clinical edge, he displayed a predatory instinct that the likes of George Hirst and Che Adams lack. That’s now six international goals for a player high in confidence after landing a dream move to his boyhood club on Tuesday. His movement throughout was pretty good and on another day, he could have been celebrating a hat-trick after fluffing a shot from a central position.

This was a display that is sure to increase the clamour for Shankland to start up top and gave the Tartan Army something to shout about over the course of 90 minutes that threatened to become a damp squib rather than the party-like send off this match was billed as.