‘Mentor’ role for Gordon at Euros ideal – Pressley

Former Hearts captain Steven Pressley reckons Craig Gordon could land himself a place in Scotland’s Euro 2024 squad as a goalkeeping mentor.

Hearts player Gordon is one of four shotstoppers included in the squad by national team boss Steve Clarke for the upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Northern Ireland.

That is despite the 41-year-old only managing three games – all coming in this season’s Scottish Cup – since suffering a double leg break on Christmas Eve in 2022.

Gordon, who has been capped some 74 times, is likely to have to fight it out with Motherwell’s Liam Kelly for the third and final spot for Germany, with Norwich’s Angus Gunn and Hearts number one Zander Clark expected to be included.

And Pressley – a former team-mate of Gordon’s at Hearts – believes there is a good chance that the veteran will be part of the final squad.

Ex-scotland defender Pressley said: “I think that the third choice goalkeeper is sometimes based not necessarily on ability but based on personality for the squad and I think there is a good chance he might find himself there.

“The choice of Craig going won’t be based around his performance necessarily opinion.

“The way Steve will be looking at it is personality, influence, experience and support for the two other goalkeepers.

“The length of time they are away, normally within tournaments your third choice goalkeeper will play little part so a lot is based around personality of the individual.

“If it was based around decisionmaking on present day form then the argument would be no, because he has only played these three games.

“But if Steve is thinking about it in an entirely different way and there is every chance he is, then there is every chance he will go.”

Gordon’s career was in doubt when he suffered the sickening injury against Dundee United but Pressley knows the keeper has the character to keep fighting.

He added: “When you have been involved in football for as long as Craig has, there has to be a resilience and personality and an attitude about you or you just won’t survive.

“It is an industry that is very demanding, it requires a lot of resilience and good personality.

“Anyone that has been in for 20 yearsplus has to have something about them.” in my

Craig Gordon has won 74 caps for Scotland.