‘Jack can be Clarke’s main man in middle’

RYAN JACK is capable of keeping prized Premier League trio John Fleck, Kenny McLean and Scott McTominay out of the Scotland side in the Euro 2020 play-offs - if he maintains his current form with Rangers until next March.

That was the confident prediction from former Aberdeen, Rangers and Scotland midfielder Jim Bett ahead of the draw for the play-off games in Nyon this afternoon.

Jack started in the national team’s final two Group I matches against Cyprus in Nicosia on Saturday and Kazakhstan in Glasgow on Tuesday and performed well as his country ended a disappointing and unsuccessful qualifying campaign with moraleboosting 2-1 and 3-1 wins.

The 27-year-old was only given the nod by manager Steve Clarke ahead of Sheffield United favourite Fleck after Norwich City man McLean and Manchester United player McTominay withdrew from the squad with injuries.

However, Bett believes his old Scotland team-mate Clarke could be tempted to stick with the fourtimes capped footballer, who quickly struck up a good partnership with his Celtic rival

Callum McGregor in the centre of the park, in future even if McLean and McTominay are available.

“When you are playing for Rangers you are playing at a high level for a really good club with a great history,” said Bett. “That is going to help you when you go into the Scotland team.

“Ryan got his chance because of call-offs, but he did very well. He will expect to stay in the team now, will expect to play in the next match.

“He will be disappointed if he is overlooked given how well he played in the Cyprus and Kazakhstan matches. I don’t think it will be too big a hurdle for Ryan to start in that play-off game.

“But a lot depends on how well he is playing for his club as well. Steve will take that into consideration. He has got three, four, five players who can all slot into that midfield position. But Ryan did really well and if he is still injury-free and playing well for Rangers then he will expect to play in the next game.

“If you are confident in your own ability – which Ryan, as you can see from the way he is playing just now, is – then he can handle it no trouble at all. The more games at international level he gets the better he will become. And he is already confident in what he can do.”