Steve Clarke has claimed that there are little issues in relation to Greg Taylor’s ommission from the Scotland squad to face Cyprus and Spain later this month.
The former Kilmarnock defender gained his first cap under Clarke and was included in the 2021 European Championship squad despite Celtic’s horrendous season and competition from Diego Laxalt for the left-back place.
Despite the obvious competition of Kieran Tierney and Andy Robertson Taylor has always made himself available for Scotland duty despite often missing out on being named among the substitutes.
Clarke named a 23 man squad for the European Championship qualifiers but there was no place for Taylor despite a large number of players included such as Nathan Patterson, Tierney, Scott McTominay and Liam Cooper who are barely getting a game at club level.
Explaining his decision to exclude the Celtic defender Clarke told The Sun:
I know Greg very very well. We have a good relationship. I have had a chat with him and he is fine.
There are one or two little issues around that one, which is not for me to say. It is a Celtic matter.
As national manager Clarke shouldn’t be dropping cryptic clues over why players have been left out of the Scotland squad.
In November no Celtic players were available for a Scotland friendly in Turkey with Ange Postecoglou taking the strongest squad available to play two friendlies in Australia.
Apart from last week’s SPFL win over Hearts Taylor has been a regular in the Celtic side despite the arrival of £3m defender Alexandro Bernabei last summer.
??????? Steve Clarke has named his Scotland squad for our upcoming @EURO2024 qualifiers against Cyprus and Spain.
?? Read more: https://t.co/7RtndgcYFV pic.twitter.com/TZnREeMNI4
— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) March 14, 2023
Very poor from Clarke. Make your excuse and leave it at that!
Could it just be that having in two left-backs in your team is confusing but three would just be playing right into Charlie Nicholas’s hands!?
Steve Clark getting ruled by his paymasters,I hope Scotland get fuckin humped and no Celtic players play for Scotland again,bigoted , sectarian sad little backward country.