Ryan was flying and his loss will be big blow
Steve Clarke is gutted winger Ryan Fraser won’t face Serbia after backing the Newcastle star to be a key man for his country.
The 26-year-old was superb in wins over Slovakia and Czech Republic last month, scoring the winner against the Czechs at Hampden, and was expected to have a pivotal role again in Thursday night’s vital Euro 2020 play-off final against Serbia.
Injury has now ruled him out but Clarke is tipping Fraser to bounce back from the crushing disappointment.
He made a controversial exit from Bournemouth, refusing to play the remainder of their games after the Covid restart and letting his contract run down despite the Cherries facing relegation.
Fraser then signed for
Newcastle on a free, which resulted in criticism from former players, pundits and fans.
Clarke insists Fraser had to look
after his own career and, in his time with Scotland, the manager insists he can’t find fault with the winger on or off the pitch.
He said: “Ryan made the decisions for the good of his career and you must respect that.
“Supporters will always be loyal to their club. If they feel a player has let the club down, they’ll have a pop. That’s their right and Ryan is big enough to handle that.
“As a person, I’ve had no issues with him. And as a player, when he’s fit and available he’s always in my thoughts. If he’s not been a starter, he’s always close.
“We found a nice little position for him playing up beside Lyndon Dykes and he seemed to revel in the freedom he got.
“He’s now playing in a similar position for Newcastle, beside Callum Wilson. He’s always had quality to change a game.”
Newcastle boss Steve Bruce revealed a hamstring problem scuppered Fraser’s chances of playing in Belgrade.
Bruce said: “He came into the treatment room and wasn’t happy with his hamstring. We then scanned him and it revealed a small tear so obviously he is not going to make the internationals.”