CLARKE VOW TO STAY FOR WORLD CUP
STEVE CLARKE has reiterated his intention to lead Scotland to the World Cup in 2022 amid speculation linking him with Celtic. The national team boss has been heavily linked with the vacant Parkhead post following the departure of Neil Lennon but is contracted to the SFA until December 2022, after the completion of the Qatar showpiece. Speaking during a Q&A session with youngsters at Edinburgh-based club Team United, which supports children with autism, Clarke admitted he is open to a return to club football but not until he has completed his journey with Scotland. When asked if he would be joining Celtic following this summer’s Euro 2020 finals, Clarke said: ‘After the Euros, I will go on a big holiday. It is going to be very tiring then we will decide what happens. ‘But I have a contract with the
Scottish FA up until 2022 and, hopefully, I can take the team to the World Cup finals in Qatar in 2022 as well. That would be great — and then maybe I can think about club football. ‘When you have been in football as long as me, you tend not to look too far ahead. I look forward to the games in March and if we can win all of them, we can concentrate on the Euros after that.’ Clarke is preparing for this month’s World Cup triple-header against Austria, Israel and the Faroe Islands and says there is still potential for new faces to make his squad ahead of this summer. He said: ‘I don’t think there will be too many surprises for the Euros. The players who did the hard work and got us qualified deserve first chance. But before we get to the Euros we have three games in March so there might be one or two surprises in that squad.’