Celtic great John Hartson has admitted that he was left “shocked” by David Turnbull being snubbed by Scotland.
Scots boss Steve Clarke revealed his squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Austria, Israel, and the Faroe Islands respectively. Incredibly, Turnbull was nowhere to be seen in it despite his incredible form this season.
The likes of Kenny McLean, Ryan Christie, and John Fleck were all instead called up by Clarke. It was a decision that left the Celtic supporters scratching their heads, and indeed most of the country.
And Hartson was yet another who just can’t understand Clarke’s decision. Speaking on the Go Radio Football Show last night, big John was certainly bemused:
“Well he’s been Celtic’s star man. He’s been Celtic’s go-to man since December really and the team has been built around him. Everybody is saying that the future should be built around players like David Turnbull.
“I’m shocked that Turnbull isn’t in the squad on the back of his form. Irrespective of what Celtic have done this season, he’s been a really good performer at a really high level over the last five months.
“I would’ve actually taken him before Ryan Christie.”
John Hartson spot on; David Turnbull would add a goalscoring threat to Scotland’s midfield
Regardless of what you think of the rest of the squad, Turnbull shouldn’t just be in it – he should be in the starting XI.
Spare us the guff about this being an elite level of football that the former Motherwell man isn’t ready for. Perhaps you could say that about the upcoming Euro 2020 tournament if you were being cynical. But qualifying games against the likes of Israel and the Faroes? Do us a favour.
Scotland, even though they finally managed to break their qualifying duck, don’t have enough of a threat from the midfield going forward. Take John McGinn out and it’s difficult to see where the goals are coming from.
Turnbull would give them that goal threat. He adds something to the Scotland team that they don’t currently have.
It’s frustrating that he continues to be overlooked. Especially given it’s a fresh qualification campaign and an opportunity for Clarke to try new things
And if you’re Turnbull, you must now be wondering what on earth you have to do to catch the eye.
In other news, we take a look at why Celtic must seriously consider a move for Kevin Nisbet.
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