The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Scotland tour no jolly: McFadden
Former Dundee United pair Armstrong and Souttar staying home
James McFadden has urged the Scotland squad to make the most of their “working trip” to Peru and Mexico after insisting their end-ofseason tour is no jolly.
The national team assistant boss hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2002 when he went AWOL after a boozy night out at the end of a post-season tour to Hong Kong.
The then 19-year-old Motherwell youngster slept in and missed his flight home from the Far East with the rest of Berti Vogts’ squad.
It was an episode which might have ended the international ambitions of lesser talents but McFadden does not want any of Alex McLeish’s current crop taking the same risk.
Scotland face Peru in Lima on May 29 before moving on to Mexico City on June 2, but the trip’s timing has proved controversial and McLeish has already seen six players pullout, with former Dundee United pair Stuart Armstrong and John Souttar the latest call-offs.
Scotland are set to travel to Peru and Mexico with just 21 players after John Souttar and Stuart Armstrong took the total number of withdrawals to six.
It was only a week ago that boss Alex McLeish named his original 24-man group for the end-of-season tour.
But that was quickly followed by a spate of drop-outs as goalkeeper Allan McGregor, defender Barry Douglas and wingers Matt Ritchie and Ryan Fraser decided they could not travel for the games with Peru on May 29 and Mexico on June 2.
Now Hearts centre-back Souttar and Celtic midfielder Armstrong have informed McLeish they are not fit enough for the trans-Atlantic jaunt.
Armstrong tweaked a hamstring during his late substitute appearance in Saturday’s William Hill Scottish Cup final win over Motherwell.
He underwent a scan on Monday morning and has now opted against risking the injury further with Celtic’s Champions League qualifiers just seven weeks away.
Souttar has been playing with a similar knock for the past few weeks and Jambos boss Craig Levein fears the 21-year-old may yet need surgery.
“We’ve had a scare with John because this injury is a little worse than we feared,” Levein told the Edinburgh Evening News. “I’m hoping it settles down and doesn’t require any surgery.
“It was a really weird injury he got against Celtic. He was clearing the ball across his body and someone came in and caught him on the hip joint. It was a right clatter.
“I’m still not 100% sure whether it’s just muscular or if there’s some damage to the cartilage in the hip. That would a bigger problem for us.
“If it’s just muscular and it clears up quickly, then we’re fine. If it’s worse than that then it would have longerterm implications.”
McLeish, who is without a crop of regulars having decided to rest the likes of Celtic stars Craig Gordon, Kieran Tierney, Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Leigh Griffiths, has only called up Hoops goalkeeper Scott Bain, Kilmarnock right-back Stephen O’Donnell and Motherwell winger Chris Cadden so far.
And with the team due to depart today, it is understood there is not enough time to draft in fresh reserves, meaning McLeish will have to make do with a skeleton 21-man squad.