Hanley’s handle on the threat posed by Mitrovic is so handy

EVEN if Grant Hanley doesn’t walk straight back into the Scotland defence in Belgrade, the recalled centre-back can offer some first-hand insight into Serbia’s principal attacking threat.

After two-and-a-half years in the cold, Hanley stands on the cusp of his 30th Scotland cap this week after being brought back into the squad by Steve Clarke.

Now captain of Norwich in the Championship, Hanley offers a wealth of experience including a spell at Newcastle, where he shared a dressing room and more than a few training-ground tussles with Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Now with Fulham, Mitrovic marries old-school brawn with an impressive scoring record that has seen him strike 36 times in 60 international appearances.

‘I was with him at Newcastle for a year and his record speaks for itself,’ says Hanley. ‘He’s proved throughout his career that he has the quality to score goals.

‘I’ve had a few battles with him in training. Everybody knows what Mitro is like. He’s aggressive and a handful. Whatever centrehalf he comes up against normally finds themselves in a battle.

‘Thinking back he probably never played as much as he would have liked and I don’t think that is through any fault of his own.

‘(Ayoze) Perez got a lot of goals that year but whenever Mitro was involved he scored too — that’s been the case wherever he played.’

It’s almost 10 years since Hanley was handed a Scotland debut by Craig Levein at the age of 19. At that stage the Blackburn starlet seemed to have the potential to be a mainstay for many years but, although he was a regular during

Gordon Strachan’s reign, his Scotland career has been disrupted by injuries over the past couple of years. Still only 28, he hopes his best days in dark blue lie just around the corner.

‘We have a chance of qualifying for a major tournament, just 90 minutes away,’ says Hanley. ‘I think everyone will tell you it has been a long time coming.

‘It is a one-off game and anything can happen, so I think we have to approach it positively and play in a positive way to try and get the result we need.

‘It has been a couple of years since I was involved in a squad, so it’s definitely a positive for me. It’s been tough with injuries.’

Hanley has had to watch on from the sidelines as Scotland have gone eight games unbeaten under Clarke but acknowledges Thursday represents a stiffer task than any in that sequence.

Pleased to see his club-mate Kenny McLean slot home the winning penalty against Israel, he must now try and prove he is worthy of inclusion in Clarke’s new favoured back three set-up.

‘I watched the Israel game at home and I was happy to see Kenny score because I can remember him missing a couple for Norwich,’ adds Hanley. ‘Personally, I’m just happy to be back.

‘I spoke to the manager previously and in the first instance it was just about getting myself fit and working hard to get back playing with Norwich.

‘Being back in the squad feels like a long time coming.’