Steve Clarke announced the first Scotland squad of his tenure as boss on Tuesday afternoon. The former Kilmarnock manager named just four Celtic men in his 27 man squad.
Player of the Year nominees James Forrest and Callum McGregor were both included while goalkeeper Scott Bain and returning loanee Lewis Morgan also made the cut.
There was also a place for West Bromwich Albion man Oliver Burke. The winger was pretty hopeless in his five month spell at Celtic but clearly did enough to impress Clarke.
His gain is some other wingers loss – none more so than Mikey Johnston. The 20-year-old did more in one league match against Hearts than Burke did in his entire loan spell. He can count himself unlucky not to be involved in the action.
Good for Celtic
Neil Lennon will be glad to see players like Johnston out of action. The winger is likely to play a bigger part at the club next season and a longer summer break will do him the world of good.
Scotland’s under-21s don’t have another fixture until September so the likes of Johnston, Ewan Henderson and Anthony Ralston will be fresh and raring to go.
Extended summer breaks for Kieran Tierney, Ryan Christie and Leigh Griffiths will also be welcome news for Hoops fans. Those three will be some of our biggest stars next year. They may have to lead from the front in the opening spell of the season if the international stars come back fatigued.
The above trio all spent long spells on the sideline this season. It’s important that they spend more time on the pitch next campaign.
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