After a disappointing early exit from EURO 2024, Scotland return to the international stage on Thursday to face Poland in the first of two UEFA Nations League fixtures.
The clash at Hampden Park, scheduled to get underway at 19:45 UK, will be followed by a trip to Portugal on Sunday – but as Steve Clarke revealed in a press conference on Wednesday, the Tartan Army will have to do without Che Adams.
What did Steve Clarke say?
It’s been a tumultuous summer for those involved in Scottish football, and perhaps that’s highlighted by Che Adams’ recent move to Torino. Swapping Southampton for life on the edge of the Italian Alps during the recent transfer win, reports emerged suggesting that Adams’ withdrawal from Clarke’s squad was to facilitate an easier adjustment to life in a new country.
That hypothesis has been discarded by the Scotland boss, however. According to the 61-year-old, Adams “picked up a knock” during Torino’s away victory over Venezia. The forward was withdrawn in the 77th minute of that clash.
Embed from Getty Images“The club informed us on Saturday morning that he picked up a knock in the game,” explained Clarke, appearing disgruntled with the line of questioning during Wednesday’s press conference.
“The conversation with Che is then does he come over and be assessed and sent back to Italy? There was no point. That is why he misses out.”
“I can probably get you the email, if you want? I don’t have it on me just now, but there was an official email came from Torino that he had injuries that he picked up: thigh and knee. They asked for him to be withdrawn from the squad,” he clarified.
“I spoke to Che and the conversation was about [the decision] to come across and be assessed, or stay where you are. We decided it would be best that he stayed where he is.”
Adams won’t be the only key player absent from Thursday’s clash with Poland, given that Celtic’s James Forrest and Greg Taylor have both withdrawn from the squad due to injury. For Clarke, that’s resulted in a new-look squad – but he insists he’s searching for “evolution, not revolution.”
Embed from Getty Images“We have a significant number of injuries that probably impacted my squad a little bit. It means I’ve had to dip into the U21 squad, probably too many times if I’m being honest, because the U21s also have a couple of very important fixtures coming up [against Spain and Malta].”
“We respect the core group that have managed to qualify for back-to-back European Championships, but then within that core group you have to try and add a little bit more.”
“I am looking at this Nations League campaign and thinking this is a chance to try and evolve the group so that when we do get to the World Cup qualifiers we are in a better shape, ready to go again and ready to qualify for our third tournament out of four.”
