Clarke’s call is deserved reward for super start

If ever a striker has deserved recognition by his country for his current form it is Lawrence Shankland.

The frontman has been nothing short of superb for Dundee United this season.

Indeed, he has made a more prolific start to a campaign in terms of goals than any player in the club’s history.

There will be those who scoff at someone from Scottish football’s second tier getting a shot at international football but they probably won’t have seen him play for United.

There are also precedents for Championship talent getting recognised by the nation, with John McGinn when at Hibs and Ian Black then of Rangers notable examples.

Shankland has, of course, set the Championship alight with 13 league goals as well as a couple more in the Betfred Cup for good measure.

His latest achievement was a hat-trick against Morton in a 6-0 home win on Saturday.

However, it is not just about the goals. There is so much more to his game, as his Tannadice team-mates will confirm.

He is a very clever player, who is particularly adept at finding colleagues with flick-ons and forward passes. He also happily does all the defensive work that’s demanded of him.

Some United supporters may be worried that their key man is getting all this attention. The concern is that he will be snatched away from them.

However, look on the bright side.

What this news shows is that playing for Robbie Nielson’s men is no barrier to catching the eye of the Scotland boss.

Shankland is also a laid-back character, who doesn’t seem to get carried away easily.

This won’t go to his head and he can carry on doing what he does best for United and, they hope, fire them back to the Premiership.