The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Cap fits evolution of new Shankland
The kind of goals for which Lawrence Shankland is known have been harder to come by for him this season.
But the Dundee United striker could still be worth his weight in gold to Scotland, according to Micky Mellon.
Shankland notched 92 goals over the three seasons prior to this one to earn himself a national call-up as a Championship player.
This term he has struck just seven times.
However, his Tannadice gaffer insists the hitman has become a better allround footballer in his maiden Premiership season.
And Mellon believes that Shankland’s new-found qualities could make him a valuable asset to Steve Clarke’s Scotland in this month’s World Cup qualifiers and in this summer’s European Championship finals.
Mellon said: “I am pleased that Lawrence is playing so well at an important time when the squad is about to be selected.
“That is a positive him and Scotland.
“He has always had an eye for goal. The Dundee United team I saw Lawrence play in last season pretty much dominated most games.
“It was all about Lawrence in the 18-yard box and we know how good he is in there.
“But we went up a level and the asks, as a club and as players, are very different.
“We were pinned back and ‘the hunted’ rather than last season when Dundee United were ‘the hunter’, going at teams.
“As we developed and got better as a team, so has Lawrence.
“He has not only got better in his one-v-ones from the front in closing down, but we get it up to him and he is big for us in order to get us up the pitch, to link and build attacks. for
“He has improved that side of his game massively because he wasn’t asked to do that last season, from the footage I have watched.
“His work-rate is phenomenal but you need to work hard to lead the line for us and he has done that on a regular basis.
“I am only a Scotland fan but that role would also be the ask for Scotland as well.
“Scotland might find themselves in that position in the Euros and Lawrence has shown he is more than capable of doing that job as the main striker.
“He has done it against the best teams in this country, like Celtic and Rangers, and Scotland will be up against that sort of quality in the Euros.
“Lawrence has shown he has the quality and I don’t think he needs to show anyone that he can go and do that and play in that sort of role at that sort of level.”
The way Shankland has worked to develop his overall game has not been lost on Mellon, who points to his striker’s GPS stats as proof of his enormous value to United.
And he believes Steve Clarke will recognise the hitman’s hard work.
Mellon said: “Lawrence has done great in a developing team.
“He has been brilliant for us because he has changed his game to help us and himself.
“Some of his hold-up play and work-rate maybe goes a wee bit unnoticed because everybody talks about his goals. If you see his GPS, it shows his work rate and the amount of sprinting and closing down he does.
“As I said, his hold-up play is so important for us and we are also big on recovering the ball and he is right up there.
“It is a big stat that I judge strikers on and Lawrence’s figures are right up there with any player I have worked with.
“Steve Clarke will know all about that side of Lawrence’s game as well.”