McGINN AND OUT
FROM BACK PAGE Mikey Devlin which has left the Aberdeen defender sweating over his participation in the Betfred Cup Final on December 2.
Devlin has damaged a foot tendon and it’s understood he’s already been told he has no chance of recovering in time to face Motherwell at Fir Park next weekend.
Ironically, McLeish responded to this setback by sending out an emergency call to Celtic’s Jack Hendry who was told to rush to the team HQ in Edinburgh.
Devlin had been on the verge of making his debut at the heart of McLeish’s defence but no sooner had he called in reinforcements the boss was hit by an even bigger blow when the extent of McGinn’s problem became obvious.
It remains to be seen if more 11th-hour additions will be made.
But Hendry could now come straight into contention for a starting place despite managing only 25 minutes of club football in the last 10-and-a-half hours of Celtic’s matches since the last international break.
Hendry was named in McLeish’s squad for that double-header but didn’t get off the bench as Scotland fell apart in Israel before winning his third cap in the friendly defeat to Portugal.
Devlin, on the other hand, was only drafted into that squad for the second game after a raft of injuries following the hammering in Haifa.
But while Aberdeen’s Devlin stayed in McLeish’s plans, Hendry was jettisoned after being frozen out of the first-team picture at Parkhead.
Hendry has only made two sub appearances in that time and not been seen in a Celtic shirt since he replaced Kristoffer Ajer in the League Cup semi-final win over Hearts at the end of last month.
But now he will be competing against another untested rookie, former Rangers defender David Bates, for a central defensive starting slot as Scotland’s Nations League campaign comes down to the crunch. Hamburg new boy Bates was also a late call-up after injuries wiped out Charlie Mulgrew, John Souttar and Christophe Berra.
Now Devlin has gone too Bates insists he can cope with a debut when the heat is on.
He has made just 11 appearances for the Germans and been capped twice for the Under-21s this year – and even he admits to being shocked by his summons.
But Bates said: “What would I say if I got the call? I would say thanks very much! Seriously, I feel totally ready.
“I’ve been playing every game for Hamburg except for a couple and feel I’ve come on a lot as a player.
“So I definitely feel ready. I was delighted to get the call on Sunday to come here.
“It was two months ago I got my first Under-21 cap – I was in a couple of squads at Rangers but got injured when called up.
“Training was good and it was good to meet all the boys.”
Bates insisted he can handle the big time after surviving massive derby clashes in Scotland and Germany.
The 22-year-old played in three Old Firm games during his time at Ibrox – including a goalless draw at Parkhead – and also sampled the intense rivalry when Hamburg faced city rivals St Pauli.
Bates said: “I have played in Old Firm games and also Hamburg v St Pauli about a month ago.
“So I have already experienced some big games in my career.
“You just go into every match with the same attitude and always try to do your best.
“You don’t think about the occasion too much.” LAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON SCOTLAND... COME ON