Former Scotland boss laments loss of midfield duo for Euro 2020

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Former Scotland manager Craig Brown thinks the current squad will miss the quality of injured duo Ryan Jack and Kenny McLean as they prepare for their Euro 2020 opener later this month – but insists there is a lot of quality in the middle of the park without them.

Brown remains the last man to lead Scotland in a major tournament (although not for much longer) and insists the crocked pair would “definitely enhance” Steve Clarke’s side.

The former Scotland boss worked with Jack at Aberdeen and knows the Rangers midfielder well, hailing him as an “outstanding” player but pointing to the “energy” and “enthusiasm” provided by the likes of Stuart Armstrong, Ryan Christie and John McGinn.

“Ryan Jack is an outstanding player,” Brown told Lanarkshire Live. “He will be a miss, there is absolutely no doubt about that and Kenny McLean as well.

“I remember when we got the penalty decider and Kenny was taking the decider in the semi-final.

“I get it in my head that a left-footed player is a better penalty taker, I don’t know why I think that because I’ve got no justification.

“I just feel that a left-footed player strikes the ball sweetly and Kenny hits the ball beautifully.

“I thought this is great, Kenny was trusted with the responsibility and he will score. It’s the same with his passing – it’s terrific.

“We are going to miss these two because they have real quality.

“We’ve got energy, we’ve got enthusiasm and we’ve got [Stuart] Armstrong who can get up and down the park. So can [John] McGinn, [Ryan] Christie and [Scott] McTominay, if he plays in midfield.

“There is a lot of quality there. We’ve got good, good players in the middle of the park but McLean and Jack would have definitely enhanced our team.”

A huge opportunity for Scotland stars

The absence of Jack and McLean will provide an excellent opportunity for the likes of Billy Gilmour, McTominay and others to show they are the future of Scotland’s midfield.

The 2-2 draw with the Netherlands last night was a promising start as Scotland got their final preparations started ahead of Euro 2020.

While losing Jack and McLean is a huge blow, there could be a real silver lining for Scotland if some of the newer faces in the squad grab their chance.