Fraser defends decision to sit out Kazakhstan calamity

Ryan Fraser has hit back at his critics who have questioned his commitment to the Scottish national team.

The former Aberdeen winger, now playing in the Premier League in England with Bournemouth, has opened up on the “abuse” he took for missing Scotland’s ill-fated trip to Kazakhstan, insisting that the decision for him not to play on an artificial pitch was a collective one.

Those who played in the already infamous 3-0 defeat have had to deal with all the criticism that followed.

But so too have the likes of Fraser, who didn’t travel.

Fraser wanted to make it clear that it wasn’t a reflection on his desire to pull on the colours of his country.

He said: “I got a lot of abuse for that as well.

“Look, I am not going into the game and saying ‘I don’t want to play for Scotland’. It is not like that.

“I have had four injuries where I have been out for months on end out playing on astroturf, with Scotland as well.

“I made a decision, the club made a decision, Scotland made a decision. It wasn’t just me who made it. So I didn’t play on it.”

Fraser added: “A lot of people have been saying ‘I’d do anything to play for Scotland.’ Look, I’d do anything to play for Scotland.

“But at the end of the day I need to look after myself as well.

“If I go out and do a k n e e i t i s c a r e e r - threatening.”

Fraser hopes that the Tartan Army will stick with the team as the Group I qualifiers progress as making it to Euro 2020 the old-fashioned way isn’t beyond them despite the woeful start to the campaign in Astana and a victory in San Marino that was unconvincing

“If we can win against Cyprus and get something against Belgium, you never know,” he said.