The deciding factor that led Steve Clarke to pick Hearts ace over ex-Hibs star amid contrasting season starts

Lawrence Shankland has been selected over red-hot Kevin Nisbet in the Scotland squad | Canva

Steve Clarke has explained the deciding factor that led him to select out-of-sorts Hearts talisman Lawrence Shankland over in-form Aberdeen striker Kevin Nisbet for his latest Scotland squad to face Croatia and Portugal in the Nations League.

Amid an influx of injuries to key players including the likes of John McGinn, Kieran Tierney and Aaron Hickey, the national team boss has opted to name a reduced 23-man squad for the upcoming double-header with more emphasis placed on cover in the defensive areas.

And with Scot Gemmill’s Under-21 side facing two crucial matches against Belgium and Kazakhstan in their bid to qualify for next year’s European Championships, Clarke also decided to leave out Middlesbrough frontman Tommy Conway from his latest squad, leaving the Scots light of attacking options with only the returning Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, Ryan Christie and Shankland included.

The Jambos skipper has looked somewhat bereft of confidence so far this season, finally getting off the mark for the campaign deep into stoppage time to rescue a 1-1 draw against Ross County at the weekend - a result when halted their run of eight straight defeats.

In contrast, former Hibs striker Nisbet has scored three goals in five appearances since joining the Dons on loan from English Championship side Millwall earlier this summer. The 27-year-old, who made his international debut back in 2021, has been unable to add to his 11 senior caps to date with his last call-up coming back in June 2023.

Explaining the reason behind his decision to give Shankland the nod over red-hot Nisbet, Clarke stated during his press conference: “It’s always pleasing to see strikers score goals. It’s nice for Lawrence. He’s had a tough start to the season, whereas Kevin Nisbet was mentioned and he is playing in an Aberdeen side that’s full of confidence.

“It's probably a little bit easier to score goals when your team's full of confidence. So it was nice for Lawrence to get that goal and maybe a turning point in the season for Hearts as well.”

Asked whether Nisbet had entered his thought-process, Clarke responded: “Everybody's in my thoughts. When I go through the squad, you have to look at who's around, who's doing what. Aberdeen have obviously started the season very well. It looks as though Kevin's over his injury issues and looking quite sharp. So, yeah, we want to keep it going.”

Torino marksman Adams, who sat out of last month’s back-to-back defeat against Poland and Portugal through injury, is back in the fold with Clarke adding: “I've got a really good relationship with Che. I know that he's grateful for the chance to play for Scotland and every time he turns up for us he gives 100%. I'm looking forward to seeing him this time.”