I’VE GOT FAITH IN SHINNIE
McLeish believes Dons skipper can fill the Robertson and Tierney void
ALEX McLEISH last night handed Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie the task of fixing Scotland’s left-back injury crisis.
Hours after losing captain Andrew Robertson to a dental abscess, the national team boss suffered another blow ahead of this afternoon’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Kazakhstan with the loss of Kieran Tierney with a pelvic problem.
Absent for ten weeks with a recent hip
injury, the Celtic left-back was referred for a scan after missing Tuesday’s training session in the Astana Arena. McLeish insisted concerns over Kazakhstan’s artificial pitch had no impact on the decision but said Tierney could be back for the trip to San Marino on Sunday. The task of filling the void now falls to Dons skipper Shinnie, a left-back while at Inverness before switching to midfield after his move to Pittodrie. The absence of Robertson and Tierney will also see Celtic’s Callum McGregor handed the captain’s armband. ‘It’s Sod’s law and even speaking with Kieran today he thought he would finally get a game at leftback ahead of Andy,’ said McLeish. ‘He’s gutted to be out and we’re gutted to lose two top players. ‘Kieran was feeling a little tight after the weekend and you saw TV evidence of him stretching once or twice. We had to do the right thing and scan him and, unfortunately, we can’t play him and he will miss this one. ‘I don’t know if he will be ready for the weekend but we got the news from the medical team this morning and it is what it is. We have to move on and it is out of our control.’ Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser and Cardiff’s Callum Paterson were prevented from playing on the artificial surface by their clubs. Insisting that was never a factor in the Tierney decision, McLeish added: ‘No, no. The medical was done on him and they were very adamant about it. It had nothing to do with the pitch.’ Nevertheless, the loss of Tierney came after Liverpool left-back Robertson was forced to undergo a dental operation in Glasgow and miss the team flight to Kazakhstan on Sunday night. ‘Andy was desperate to come but travelling with the abscess, getting rid of the poison from his system... it was too much in terms of draining him and arriving in the best shape,’ added McLeish. ‘It was a shame to lose him but it happens and you have to be prepared. ‘We have good cover and we think a lot of that is down to the fact we played those friendly games last year (in Peru and Mexico) which stood us in good stead. ‘There’s an obvious option in Graeme Shinnie. He played 90 minutes for us in the Azteca Stadium at left-back and also wing-back when we changed formation. ‘He’s a fantastic athlete in the best form of his career. He would be the obvious candidate. ‘Graeme is a very well respected player and he has been a great asset to this squad.’ Aberdeen central defender Scott McKenna has been passed fit to play after a weekend scare. ‘It wasn’t great noises I was hearing,’ said McLeish. ‘But when I got close to the people that matter, like Derek McInnes, we had good dialogue and I felt pretty upbeat about his chances. He’s okay.’