RUSSIA v SCOTLAND
I can shoot down critics with goals
BY GORDON PARKS LAWRENCE SHANKLAND has pledged to silence the doubters who’ve lined up to pour scorn on his Scotland call-up.
The Dundee United striker accepts the critics have had a field day over his inclusion in Steve Clarke’s squad ahead of this week’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Russia and San Marino.
Cynics have argued the Tannadice striker’s 15 goals from 13 games this season shouldn’t propel him into the international reckoning as he’s operating in the Championship.
But the 24-year-old is determined to make the most of his shock promotion by proving he can deliver goals for Scotland against any company.
He said: “There are going to be criticisms, I’ll just look to play my football and ignore all that.
“As a striker, it’s about getting yourself in the position to score and, nine times out of 10, I will be in the right position to score.
“I back myself that way if you are getting the service and you get that playing with quality players. I’m part of the squad and I’d like to be part of the team.
“I’m not the first Championship player to be called up. It happened to John McGinn a few years ago and look at him now. He is playing every week in the Premier League. People wouldn’t have seen that for him at the time.”
The call to report for international duty came out of the blue for Shankland and he admits he thought it was a practical joke at first.
He said: “I got a text giving me the heads up 10 minutes before the squad was announced. It came from a number I didn’t have saved in my phone. I only realised it wasn’t a wind-up when I saw the squad on Scotland’s Twitter.”
Whether the United striker is unleashed this week remains to be seen but Shankland was just happy to be reunited with some familiar faces at the team hotel yesterday, including old Queen’s Park team-mate Andy Robertson.
He said: “It’s great to see Andy again. I’ve played with a good few boys in this squad. It’s good to be back alongside them. I just want to do my best on the park.” KENNY McLEAN knew Lawrence Shankland was destined for big things even when his Aberdeen team-mate failed to make the grade at Pittodrie.
And this week his faith in the kid who scored goals for fun in the Dons Under-20 team has been vindicated as the pair hooked up with the Scotland national squad ahead of the double header with Russia and San Marino.
McLean was an established player in the Granite City when Shankland arrived as a raw 17-year-old from Queen’s Park and although the teen didn’t play much for Derek McInnes’ first team, his goalscoring achievements for the under-age teams didn’t go unnoticed.
McLean, now at Norwich, has had the best seat in the house over the last 18 months as Finnish striker Teemu Pukki has rebuilt his reputation after it was torched at Celtic.
He sees many similarities in how Shankland, now at Dundee United after a freescoring spell at Ayr, has bounced back from earlier career disappointments.
The midfielder said: “I know Shanks and I’m not surprised at how far he has come. He has always been a goalscorer even when I was at Aberdeen.
“He didn’t play much, he had a couple of appearances here and there but scored maybe 30 goals in the Under-20s at the time. It’s just that habit of hitting the net, he’s got that habit.
“That’s an art for strikers really and the types of finishes he gives you are so varied. He finishes from anywhere and he’s just such a threat.
“People speak about Teemu Pukki when he was in Scotland and now he’s banging goals in in the Premier League. So for a
“He’ll just get better with the quality that’s around him.”
But how has Shankland gone from someone who struggled to break into the Aberdeen team to a player being eyed closely by the Old Firm and a vast array of clubs down south?
McLean reckons it’s because he’s fitter and sharper than ever before and that makes him primed to make an impact in dark blue.
Any concerns about him playing in the second tier were also quashed by the 27-year-old Norwich star.
McLean said: “Looking at him the shape he’s in now is unbelievable. I’m not saying he was in bad shape when I was at Aberdeen.
“He was scoring goals but now he even looks quicker – physically he has come on massively.
“And then when you match that up with goals he’s scored wherever he has been then he’s going to be a problem for defenders so hopefully he can help us in the games he’s involved in.
“People have mentioned about him playing in the Championship, I don’t think that matters when you’ve got that habit and got that confidence. He deserves to be in the squad and the manager thinks that too.”
Scotland come into the next two qualifiers on the back of disappointing consecutive defeats at Hampden to Russia and Belgium.
But McLean said: “I don’t think there’s any question we can surprise people against Russia. We want to pit ourselves against these teams and we want to be winning.” 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 SCOT