Alex McLeish hails Scotland’s contingent of Celtic players

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Scotland boss Alex McLeish believes the Celtic players in his national squad are invaluable assets.

Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish has praised the number of Celtic players currently in his Scotland squad.

As it stands, the squad features the likes of Callum McGregor, James Forrest and Stuart Armstrong, while the injured trio of Leigh Griffiths, Craig Gordon and Kieran Tierney would almost certainly be in the squad if fit. Ryan Christie, who is also in the squad, is currently on loan at Aberdeen, but is still owned outright by the Hoops.

McLeish kicked off his second Scotland tenure with a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica on Friday night, gifting a number of youngsters their debut while generally fielding a very young and inexperienced side.

Regardless, the Scots will be hoping to bounce back from defeat with a strong win and performance against Hungary on Tueday, as they look to continue the good work put in by Gordon Strachan towards the end of his reign.

According to the Herald, McLeish spoke about how reliable the Celtic stars were, explaining that you know exactly what you will get with them, and attributed Scotland’s performances at the end of the last qualifying campaign to the form of Celtic and their players.

“The Celtic players have been instrumental in Scotland’s fortunes over the past few months of Gordon’s era. The results came thicker and faster with the great form of the Celtic players,” the Scotland boss explained.

“You know what you’re going to get from them, it’s up to others to show they can reach that standard.

“It’s okay saying everyone’s here on merit because of what they’re doing for their clubs, but international level is another step up. Can they step up there and not have stage fright? Can they excel? That’ll be the judgement.”

The Hungary game will present a chance for McLeish to trial both Christie and Forrest, who have both been in scintillating form for their respective club sides this season.

With Armstrong and McGregor having made a positive impact off the bench for the Scots on Friday night, the gaffer will be hoping for more of the same come Tuesday, and the chance to record the first win of the new era.