ALL-ROUNDER JORDAN IS CHANGING OPINIONS

JORDAN RHODES’ eyes light up when he has a sight of goal.

But Scotland assistant boss Mark McGhee insists the forward, 27, is now much more than just a penalty box poacher.

McGhee revealed Sheffield Wednesday hitman Rhodes (below) has changed the Scotland management team’s perception of him as they do not see him as just a goalscorer but feel he is now the complete package.

Despite the numerous goals and vast sums he has gone for, Rhodes has been on the outside looking in for much of Gordon Strachan’s Scotland reign.

But he was recalled and came on as a second-half sub in Wednesday’s friendly with Canada and could feature in tonight’s crucial World Cup qualifier with Slovenia.

And with Scotland in need of goals at Hampden, McGhee hinted he could be the man they turn to.

The former Motherwell boss said: “The striking department is a difficult thing.

“Most of the strikers are not playing regularly and that is a problem.

“But the way Gordon will look at it is that rather than saying we want to play this way, with a targetman or whatever, I think he will look to put in the player that is most positive and will look to do what he does best.

“It is a difficult one because Steven Fletcher and Chris Martin haven’t been playing regularly.

“You need to miss chances to score chances.

“When you cherry-pick games with a striker it is hard to get into a run of form. I think our strikers will suffer from that.

“I thought Jordan showed some good signs against Canada.

“And, funnily enough, I think Jordan is the type of personality that almost transcends what I’ve just said.

“Jordan is a boy who does what he does regardless.

“He seems to quite consistently be the same player and maybe it’s not as important to him to be playing every week as it is to, say, Chris Martin.

“I think we have to consider all options, definitely.

“The perception has been that Jordan only comes alive in the box and I think it has been our perception, and my perception, but I think seeing him recently, against Canada and in training, he looks to me a player that has developed and is doing much, much better. His play outside of the box is much improved.

“He has got such an eye for goal. Gordon was standing beside me at training and at one point Jordan scored a goal and he said, ‘Aye, just pass it into the net’.

“And it was like that, he just rolled it firm enough and fast enough that the goalie wasn’t getting it but there was no urgency about it. It was just total calmness. He is a good finisher.”

Stuart Armstrong is another player who has put himself in the frame having scored 12 goals for Celtic this season.

McGhee added: “Stuart is playing with such good players and they make time for him on the ball.

“I think he has grown in confidence from that and is a really, really terrific player at the moment. Through his performances for his club he has played himself right into contention.

“He is scoring a few goals, too, and we need that in the team.

“You need to have goals in your team and players who have scored goals consistently are the ones who will score you goals.

“If you have a team full of people who look like good players but don’t score goals then you are going to have a problem.

“Armstrong is one who has a goal in him at the minute therefore he needs to be considered.”