“Outstanding”: Pundit thinks Rangers ace is his nation’s ‘best’, better than £6.5 million ex-Celtic.
It’s clearly not a novel concept. Many international managers, for a number of reasons, prefer players they know and trust above those who are in form. Jordan Henderson, the much-maligned Ajax veteran, was not selected for Gareth Southgate’s next England squad based on his performances in the Eredivisie. France manager Didier Deschamps, meanwhile, was regularly chastised for selecting Moussa Sissoko over a plethora of far more talented midfield choices.
Steve Clarke, meanwhile, can certainly be excused – to some extent – for sticking with the players who have formed the backbone of a Scotland team looking forward to successful European Championship campaigns. However, eyebrows were raised in the blue area of Glasgow when Al-Ettifaq’s £6.5 million ex-Celtic midfielder Jack Hendry and Watford’s Ryan Porteous were chosen to start ahead of the often-imperious John Souttar in Friday’s friendly against the Netherlands in Amsterdam.
John Souttar is one of the Rangers‘ standout talents. At the very least, this was a positive step forward. Souttar, who appeared briefly off the bench in the Dutch capital, was left out of Clarke’s squad entirely in November. In fact, he has not started a Scotland match since June 2022.
And, while the former Hearts goalkeeper didn’t help his chances of getting more game time during a difficult second-half cameo, with the Netherlands scoring three late goals in a 4-0 win, former Rangers and Scotland striker Kevin Kyle isn’t the only one who thinks Souttar should feel a little hard done by for falling so far down the pecking order.
In fact, he might not have played at all if Scott McKenna and Grant Hanley hadn’t been forced to withdraw. “(Souttar is) Scotland’s best defender,” Kyle told Open Goal, predicting that the 25-year-old will win over Clarke and earn a spot on the manager’s Euro 2024 lineup. “I liked him before he sustained his injuries. I thought he was fantastic. I just like him. “I think he’s a proper defender who also plays. He’s an excellent defender, but he can also play. Steve Clarke has Scotland selection headache Souttar’s aerial skill and penalty box-presence would undoubtedly come in help at the Euros, especially in a group comprising home nations Germany and the dangerous Switzerland.
Kyle shows out that Souttar is more than just a basic ball-blocker. He starts as many attacks as he stops at Rangers, moving into midfield and making those line-breaking passes. Souttar has also played 33 games in all competitions for Rangers this season, putting his injury concerns behind him. He has also started each of the previous ten Scottish Premiership games, scoring against Ross County and assisting in Motherwell’s 5-0 defeat.
