Sbragia glad youths are getting senior chance

Scotland Under-21 boss Ricky Sbragia is glad the best of Scottish youth football is getting early recognition at full international level.

Sbragia’s side have taken eight points from six European Under-21 Championship qualifying games and are six points behind Group 3 leaders France and four behind Iceland and FYC Macedonia, which leaves qualifying a difficult prospect.

The former Sunderland manager’s chances would surely have been boosted had Celtic’s left-back Kieran Tierney and fellow 19-year-old Oliver Burke, the winger who became the most expensive Scot when he moved from Nottingham Forest to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in a £13 million deal shortly before the transfer window closed, not by-passed the Under-21s and moved into Gordon Strachan’s plans.

Both have been capped at full international level and were named in the squad for the opening World Cup qualifier in Malta on Sunday although the Hoops player has since withdrawn.

Hearts keeper Jack Hamilton, Jambos defender Callum Paterson, Hibernian midfielder John McGinn, and Rangers winger Barrie McKay have been part of the Under-21 campaign but are also with the A squad along with Hull defender Andy Robertson who played once for Sbragia in the current campaign and is still eligible.

Ahead of the qualifying matches against FYR Macedonia and Ukraine on tonight and Tuesday respectively, Sbragia said: “I think that is good.

“We have read a lot about Oliver Burke recently and that is credit to Mick Elliott, the scout down in Leicester who picked him up (flagged him up to SFA).

“Scott Gemmill took him into the Under-19s and that is good scouting and good recruitment.

“It is great for Kieran, Jack is up there along with Paterson, McKay and McGinn, I don’t actually want them down at the 21s.”

U21 keeper Jack Hamilton is with the senior squad in Malta this week.