It’s Shanks but no thanks as in-form striker is snubbed
LAWRENCE SHANKLAND must feel more than a little aggrieved that he is not in the Scotland squad this week.
The on-form striker has proved to be a key signing since Hearts coughed up to take him back from Belgian side Germinal Beerschot.
The 27-year-old is already on 12 goals in all competitions for the Jambos with a ratio of one every two games.
He is very much at the top of his game and surely will get even better in the second half of the season.
The fact he is a player in form must make it frustrating that he isn’t back in Steve Clarke’s squad this week.
Shankland has already proved his worth to the manager in the past and I have no doubt he will get the chance to do it again, sooner rather than later.
Maybe I am doing Clarke a disservice. There is the possibility he may have spoken to Shankland and told him he will get his chance but he maybe wants to allow the striker to recharge the batteries after a challenging first half of the season.
There were questions over whether Shankland could score regularly at the top level.
He has well and truly blown that theory out the water in his short time in maroon.
Shankland has proved if you put the ball in the box he will put it away regardless of the opponent.
Yes, there were some doubts during his time at Dundee United but that was a team more interested in defending than attacking.
Now Robbie Neilson’s men are giving him the ammunition and he is hitting the mark on a regular basis.
He will remain a massive player for the Jambos going into the second half of the campaign as they look to push Aberdeen all the way in the fight for third.
Yes, I get the Scotland argument that a lot of the time we only play one up front and as it stands Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes are understandably in the box seat.
Ryan Fraser, Ryan Christie and Jacob Brown have also been named among the other strikers but none of them would be classed as natural predators.
Yes, they bring something different to the squad but Shankland brings goals.
I just think the fact it was a friendly would have given Clarke the chance to reintegrate Shankland back into the squad.
The national boss has included a number of players who have struggled to get game time at club level recently. So why not pick one of the form players in the country against Turkey?
There would have been more gained than lost but Clarke will have his reasons.
This is another example of the strength and depth he has across his squad.
At one point he hardly had a go-to frontman but now even Shankland can’t get in – and that is without Ross Stewart returning from injury at Sunderland.
It shows the future is bright and you can’t help but think Shankland will also shine in the dark blue again some time soon.
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