Major shock as Hearts stars left OUT of Scotland squad for Japan & Ivory Coast double-header - Hibs ace included
Steve Clarke has named his 26-man squad to face Japan and Ivory Coast in a friendly double-header later this month
Steve Clarke has named his latest Scotland squad for the international friendly double-header against Japan and Ivory Coast later this month - and it surprisingly includes NO Hearts players.
The national team will host Hajime Moriyasu’s Japanese side at Hampden Park on Saturday, 3 March, before heading south of the border to Merseyside three days later for a meeting with the recent African Cup of Nations quarter-finalists at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Both games will serve as vital World Cup preparation ahead of the Scots’ return to the major tournament finals in USA, Canada and Mexico this summer for the first time since 1998.
Clarke has named a 26-man group, including Hibs defender Grant Hanley. He has handed a maiden call-up to teenage Kilmarnock winger Findlay Curtis, who is on loan from Rangers and has impressed during his time in Ayrshire.
But in a huge shock, the former Kilmarnock boss has opted to leave out a series of Hearts players, including regulars Craig Gordon and Lawrence Shankland as they continue their recovery from injury.
There was growing clamour for the likes of Craig Halkett, Stuart Findlay, Harry Milne and Marc Leonard to be included, but none of the quartet have made the cut - despite Clarke’s presence at Rugby Park on Saturday.
Other notable absentees include AFC Bournemouth star Ben Gannon-Doak, who has just returned from injury, Brentford full-back Aaron Hickey and former Hibs striker Kieron Bowie who recently scored his first goal in Serie A since moving to Hellas Verona in January.
Falkirk's Scott Bain is the only goalkeeper included who is currently playing regularly at club level, with Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly both serving as back-ups at their respective clubs.
Japan - 19th in the FIFA rankings - could have a number of familiar names among their ranks for those who keep a watchful eye on Scottish football. The likes of Celtic duo Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate have both earned recent call-ups, but ex-Hoops striker Kyogo Furuhashi appears to have fallen out of favour having last received a call-up for national team duty 12 months ago.
In addition, Crystal Palace star Daichi Kamada, Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo and former Reds ace Takumi Minamino will ensure ‘the Blue Samurai’ provide stern opposition for Clarke’s side.
Meanwhile, Ivory Coast sit just one spot above Scotland (38th) in the FIFA rankings and while they no longer have a star-studded group of players to call on such as Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, ‘the Elephants’ remain a dangerous proposition with talents like Manchester United attacker Amad Diallo, AS Roma defender Evan Ndicka and mainstay Franck Kessié all expected to feature.
Scotland have a further two friendlies lined up against Caribbean island nation Curacao at Hampden and South American non-qualifiers Venezuela in Florida before the tournament gets underway in June.
A pair of extra-time goals from Kieran Tierney and Kenny McLean helped Scotland beat Denmark 4-2 on the last day of UEFA qualifying back in November to secure a long-awaited return to the biggest stage in world football.
Scotland squad to face Japan and Ivory Coast in full:
GOALKEEPERS
Scott Bain (Falkirk), Angus Gunn (Nottingham Forest), Liam Kelly (Rangers)
DEFENDERS
Grant Hanley (Hibs), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Dom Hyam (Wrexham), Ross McCrorie (Bristol City), Scott McKenna (Dinamo Zagreb), Nathan Patterson (Everton), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Kieran Tierney (Celtic)
MIDFIELDERS
Ryan Christie (AFC Bournemouth), Lewis Ferguson (Bologna), Billy Gilmour (Napoli), Andy Irving (Sparta Prague), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Kenny McLean (Norwich City), Scott McTominay (Napoli), Lennon Miller (Udinese)