Scotland’s upcoming friendlies against Netherlands and Northern Ireland have been dealt another blow in defense with the withdrawal of Scott McKenna due to injury. The 27-year-old center-back, who had joined up with the squad at Lesser Hampden earlier in the week, has been deemed unfit to participate in either match following an assessment of his injury. McKenna, who recently returned to action with FC Copenhagen on loan from Nottingham Forest, will now miss out on the opportunity to represent his country in these crucial fixtures.
This unfortunate setback comes on the heels of another defensive withdrawal, Grant Hanley, who is currently sidelined with an ankle issue. With McKenna and Hanley both unavailable, manager Steve Clarke finds himself with limited options at center-back, with only John Souttar, Ryan Porteous, Jack Hendry, and Liam Cooper available. However, Clarke does have the option to deploy Kieran Tierney as a left-sided defender in a back three formation, while midfielders Scott McTominay and Kenny McLean can also provide cover in defense if needed.
Despite the absence of two key defenders, no replacements have been called up as of yet, leaving Clarke to rely on the existing players to step up and fill the void in the backline. It will be a challenging task for the Scotland manager to navigate these friendlies without McKenna and Hanley, but he will undoubtedly be looking to the remaining squad members to rise to the occasion and deliver strong performances in their absence.
