SAINTS STRIKER IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL

account of this summer’s Euro finals, the Scotland boss sees him as a long-term proposition.

Asked if people were right to question why he only wants to play for Scotland now, Clarke replied: ‘So, what? After six, seven, eight games he’s going to do what? Look, it has to be longer than that. That’s why we spoke about long-term. ‘Listen, if you’re successful as an international team then people are going to be more attracted to play for you. That goes without saying. ‘But I don’t think that was the be-all and end-all for Che. The fact he wants to have an international career is the be-all and end-all.

‘If you go down that other route then you’re saying that, after the Euros, he’ll back off and not want to play for Scotland again. But that’s definitely not the Che Adams I spoke to.’

Adams is set to cement his decision when Clarke’s side face Austria at Hampden next Thursday ahead of a trip to Israel and the visit of the Faroe Islands to Glasgow. Adamant he had no issue with the player previously keeping his options open, Clarke added: ‘I’m not so sure it was a case that there was a big reluctance for him to get into the Scotland set-up.

‘You have to remember, this conversation he had with Alex was four years ago when he was only a young man finding his way in the English Championship at the time he was at Birmingham.

‘I didn’t have to work particularly hard to persuade him.’

Hibs striker Kevin Nisbet also received a first call-up yesterday, while Celtic defender Jack Hendry is in the squad after impressing on loan for Belgian side Oostende. Clarke, meanwhile, distanced himself from ongoing speculation linking him with the vacant Celtic job. ‘I don’t think it’s my job to knock anything on the head because I’m the Scotland manager,’ he stated. ‘I told you on the steps in Serbia after the game and straight to your faces that I’d be here for Euro 2020. ‘If you can tell me that I’ll still be the manager of Scotland come December 2022 in Qatar, I’ll be delighted with that as well.

‘People can speculate all they want but it’s not my job to get involved in speculation. I can’t knock anything on the head.

‘Why would anybody say they don’t want anything? Why would I do that? I could be somewhere else in the summer. I don’t know what’s going to happen.’

Scots close in on call-up for Adams