Steve Clarke has delivered his verdict on Celtic full-back, Anthony Ralston’s performance in Scotland’s 2-2 draw with Finland on Friday night.
Ralston was given his chance to impress the Scotland boss after he was included in the 28-man provision squad for the upcoming Euro 2024 tournament in Germany.
And whilst he was an unused substitute in the 2-0 win over Gibraltar on Tuesday, Ralston got his opportunity in the Hampden friendly on Friday night.
Playing the full 90 minutes, Ralston clearly did enough to impress the Scotland boss as he is now confirmed as one of four Celtic players going to the big summer tournament.
Clarke praises Ralston’s Scotland performance
As the Scotland team made their final preparations to depart for Germany, Clarke spoke out about the Celtic defender’s performance against the Fins and noted that his training at Celtic shone through in the game.
Clarke said [The Herald], “Tony was good against Finland. I thought he started the game quite safe, but he grew in confidence after that.
“He started to get in the right positions and put in a few good decent crosses into the box.
“He plays for a club side who pass the ball a lot, so I imagine his training sessions will be pretty much possession-based.
“He is good on the ball, keeps the ball, doesn’t give it away in dangerous areas.”
Ralston has been tipped to start against Germany in the tournament’s opening game in Munich on the 14th of June.
The Celtic defender has now eased Clarke’s defensive worries after injuries to Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson threatened to give the Scotland boss a real headache for the Euros.
But Ralston has proved now that he can be relied upon after a solid performance against Finland and is bound to be given the nod next Friday as Scotland looks to progress from the group stages of tournament football for the first time in their history.
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