Clarke is happy for Lewis to put his club before his country
Steve Clarke left Lewis Ferguson out of the Scotland squad to give him a chance to impress his new boss at Bologna.
Former Italian cap, Thiago Motta, has taken over the Serie A side following the sacking of Sinisa Mihajlovic, the man who signed Ferguson from Aberdeen just two months ago.
Clarke revealed: “I’ve spoken to Lewis and he is fine.
“I could have brought him across for the Nations League games against Ukraine and the Republic of Ireland, but I’ve got Ryan Jack and Kenny McLean coming back after missing out in the summer.
“So I said to Lewis that it’s better for him to stay at Bologna, impress the new manager and get a place in the team.
“He is definitely one for the future for Scotland, and I’ve no doubt he’ll be in the Bologna team soon enough.”
Clarke also backed John Souttar to put his struggles for form behind him.
“It’s been a tough time for John, and he’s not available for this camp,” he said. “But hopefully he’ll be back playing and doing well for Rangers soon.
“I haven’t spoken to him recently, but John has good mental strength.
“He’ll come through this and he’ll be a key player for Rangers this season.”