Steve Clarke refuses to buy Lawrence Shankland theory as Hearts striker gets unwavering Scotland support

The Hearts striker has received support from his national team manager.

Shankland started for Scotland against Netherlands

Steve Clarke refuses to accept that Lawrence Shankland's miss against Netherlands should count against the Hearts talisman.

There has been scrutiny over the striker after he started against Netherlands last Friday in a 4-0 friendly defeat. Northern Ireland come to Hampden on Tuesday night in another warm-up match ahead of Euro 2024, with Shankland no doubt keen to build on his terrific Hearts form in national team colours.

He cracked the bar with a shot following a Dutch error in Amsterdam, with the game at 1-0. When asked if the miss would count against him, Clarke insisted it was a chance the 28-year-old battled for, as he offered a strong defence.

The Scotland head coach said: "No. I don’t buy that at all. I think that goalscorer are goalscorers. He worked ever so and to get that chance. Nobody is more disappointed than Lawrence that he didn’t take it. But he knows that there will be another chance and he’ll probably score it.

"Lawrence was good. The reason I played Lawrence against Holland was I have to see how he plays against that level of opposition. And he was good. He’s done himself no harm whatsoever.

"Forget the scoreline. Forget the chance that he missed. Lawrence was good in the game. It was a good night for Lawrence. Maybe not a good night for everybody else ..

"The other two boys … we know what they can do. But it would be nice if one of them at their club started to knock in the goals and become the main man. I’d much rather three of them were doing it going into the Euros. Then it makes it a difficult choice.

"There will always be a little bit of horses for courses in terms of the nature of the striker, the make-up of the opposition and how we are going to approach the game – with a high press or a lower block. There’s always going to be room to manoeuvre with the strikers. And that helps. "

Shankland is competing with Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes for a start against Northern Ireland, and the Euros opener with Germany in June. Clarke insists the Hearts star has proven he can score against any opposition domestically. He added: "He’s just a different player. Dykesy is different to Che. Che is different to Lawrence and Lawrence is different to Dyksey.

‘’They all bring something a little bit different. Lawrence has improved. There’s no doubt. I brought Lawrence in to a the squad on another dark night (0-4 Russia away) and he was a Championship player at the time.

"But obviously I saw qualities in him that I thought if he continued to develop the way he’s developing … and he has done. He’s got himself now scoring goals for the third best team in Scotland this year in Hearts.

"He’s scoring goals week in week out. It doesn’t matter who he’s playing against. He’ll score against Celtic and rangers, he’ll score against Livi down at the bottom or St Johnstone. He scores goals. Dykesy and Che have got their own qualities and Lawrence has got his qualities."