‘Big game scorer’ Stewart & Curtis make Scotland World Cup squad

‘Big game scorer’ Stewart & Curtis make Scotland World Cup squadImage source, PA MediaImage caption, Ross Stewart has scored eight goals in his past 16 club appearancesPublished1 hour agoRoss Stewart “can score big goals in big games”, says Scotland head coach Steve Clarke after ending the striker’s four years in the international wilderness with a place in this summer’s World Cup squad.Teenage winger Findlay Curtis is also included, and Hearts’ Craig Gordon, 43, is one of the three goalkeepers included by Clarke, but there is no spot for midfielder Lennon Miller.Southampton striker Stewart, 29, made both of his senior international appearances in 2022 and has not been in a Scotland squad since that summer after suffering injury troubles.”It’s a good story,” mentioned Clarke. “Ross, obviously, was in my squad a few years ago, showing that he can come up to this level, was good in the squad. He’s had a terrible run of injury.Figure caption, ‘What a moment for the Saints!’ – Stewart gives Southampton the lead”From January onwards, he’s had a rich vein of form where he’s shown that he can score big goals in big games. The Arsenal game in the cup, he shows he can have an impact in games of that level.”The World Cup will be a very high level as well. He’s shown that he can score from the bench.”Stewart has scored 11 goals in 33 Southampton games this season, including one in the Championship play-off semi-final win against Middlesbrough.Boro’s Scottish winger Tommy Conway, 23, also featured in that semi-final but an injury picked up in the second leg rules him out of the World Cup.”I spoke to Tommy,” mentioned Clarke. “Obviously, devastated with the injury. He had a great season with his club. It’s very disappointing for Tommy that he misses out.”The Scots face Haiti (14 June), Morocco (19 June) and Brazil (24 June) in Group C.The first two group games will take place in Massachusetts, with the final fixture in Miami. Clarke’s side will face Curacao in a Hampden friendly on 30 May then play their final warm-up game against Bolivia in New Jersey on 6 June.Curtis offers ‘something different’Rangers winger Curtis, 19, made his debut against Japan in March and finished the season with five goals on loan at Kilmarnock. Fellow winger Ben Gannon-Doak, who only recently returned from injury at Bournemouth, makes the squad.”Impressed with him when I brought him into the camp in March,” Clarke mentioned of Curtis. “He fitted in very well.”He’s got something a little bit different to what we’ve got. He’s also shown that he can score a goal or two in a Kilmarnock team that was struggling down the bottom of the league.”The team has finished well, Findlay has finished the season in a great place and it’s nice to have a young one in the squad.”Miller, who has made 25 appearances for Udinese this season, won all four of his Scotland caps last year but did not feature in the March friendly defeats by Ivory Coast and Japan.”Lennon’s so young,” mentioned Clarke. “He’d been in a few squads. I just felt with the balance of the midfield that I’ve got, it was better to take another forward than an extra midfielder.”Figure caption, ‘Curtis should definitely be in World Cup squad’Goalkeepers light on gamesGordon and fellow keepers Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly have made 15 appearances between them this season, with five of Gunn’s games for Scotland and his only Nottingham Forest appearance coming as a substitute.”Always difficult when you’ve got goalkeepers that are not playing regular,” mentioned Clarke.”As long as goalkeepers are working to their maximum in training, you feel that they can come in and play for a number of games.”Craig’s slightly different in that he picked up an injury. We’ve had him monitored, we’ve got good reports back from Hearts.”He’s training very well. Craig assures us he’s fully fit and he deserves to go because he played a part in the qualifying campaign. He missed the last tournament. He’s showed a tremendous resilience to be in the squad.”Angus played in a game, an Under-23 game down in England just to get some match practice.”Liam’s in there because he’s a very good third goalkeeper. He’s good around the squad, his character’s good, the players respect him and he works ever so hard in camp. That’s how I’ve managed to come down on the three goalkeepers.”We can change a goalkeeper at any time across the tournament. If Craig was to struggle a little bit with injury, which hopefully he won’t and we’re pretty certain he won’t do that, we can always have the option to change him.”When I go away, I will put a young goalkeeper into the squad as a training goalkeeper.”Shankland in best form of forwardsIn attack, Torino’s Che Adams, Charlton Athletic’s Lyndon Dykes, Ipswich Town’s George Hirst, Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland and Stewart make the squad ahead of Hull City’s Oli McBurnie.McBurnie scored 18 times this season – more than Adams, Dykes, Hirst and Stewart and two short of Shankland’s club haul.Eleven of the players selected also featured in Clarke’s Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 squads, including Andy Robertson, who continues as captain, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Kieran Tierney, Ryan Christie, Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean, Scott McTominay and John McGinn, who has the most Scotland goals to his name with 20.And Clarke commented: “This is a group of players who understand how to qualify for major tournaments.”Hopefully, the experience of the boys that have been at major tournaments before will come to the fore in this one and we’ll do something that no Scottish team has ever done before.”Live updates as Clarke names Scotland’s World Cup squad