Rapid promotion leaves Sbragia short of stars but coach delights at progress

● Under-21 manager pleased to see his young charges graduate to full squad

0 Jason Cummings of Hibs, left, and Oliver Mcburnie of Swansea City in high spirits in training ahead of tonight’s Scotland under-21 clash with Macedonia at Tynecastle. Scotland Under-21 coach 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 Scotland squad.

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were named in the squad for the opening World Cup qualifier in Malta on Sunday, although the Celtic player has since withdrawn.

Hearts goalkeeper Jack Hamilton, 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 this evening at Tynecastle and Ukraine away on Tuesday, 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].

“Scot 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. I prefer to feed the new intake in which we will consider in the next couple of games; bring new people in, see how they do.”

Motherwell manager Mark Mcghee, who doubles as Scotland assistant coach, had expressed his disappointment that Well midfielder Chris Cadden had not been included in Sbragia’s initial squad.

The 19-year-old midfielder, along with Blackburn Rovers left-back Stephen Hendrie, was drafted in after Brentford’s Lewis Macleod and Kilmarnock’s Callum Mcfadzean dropped out.

Sbragia denied he had been leant on by Mcghee.

He said: “No. I had seen him [Cadden]. I had watched the Motherwell v St Johnstone game.

“I spoke to Mark about it and as far as I am concerned it is finished now. Chris was in there, he was in that squad of 25 and then it is that decision for me of who do I pick.

“We plumped at the time for Lewis because of experience.

“Chris is an extremely good player but he is a ’96 player [born in 1996] so has another year.

“We knew the importance of games coming up. Unfortunately Lewis got a little knock so Chris was the next one but that is gone, that is in the past.

“Friday is a big game, we have to go win it, we know that.

“Macedonia are an extremely good team, they got a good result in Ukraine, a good draw in France.

“We also have the Ukraine game and we will look at the bigger picture after that game but we know the importance of the game on Friday and the importance, for me, not to lose it. But we are looking to try to get the win.” James Mccarthy is out of the Republic of Ireland’s opening World Cup qualifier in Serbia after returning to his club following assessment of his groin injury.

The 25-year-old midfielder, who had been linked with a loan move to Celtic, met up with Martin O’neill’s squad despite missing Everton’s 1-0 Premier League win over Stoke at the weekend with the problem, but has had to admit defeat in his efforts to shake it off ahead of Monday night’s game in Belgrade.

A Football Association of Ireland statement said: “Midfielder James Mccarthy returned to his club following assessment from the FAI medical staff as he recovers from a groin injury.”

The news was confirmed amid speculation that Mccarthy’s injury will require surgery to repair, and that his fitness scuppered any chance of a deadline day move away from Goodison Park, with new manager Ronald Koeman apparently prepared to let him leave.

However, the former Hamilton and Wigan player was included in the Toffees’ 25-man squad which was submitted to the Premier League following the closure of the summer transfer window.

O’neill now faces the task of finding a replacement for a man who came of age at the Euro 2016 finals in France, with Harry Arter, Stephen Quinn and David Meyler among those contesting the vacancy.

Former skipper Robbie Keane has left the camp after formally retiring from international football.