While some may have expected Clarke to dip into the squads of Hearts and Motherwell for his latest selection, he sprang a surprise by turning to his former club Kilmarnock and plucking out teenage winger Findlay Curtis. Although Scotland clearly lack depth in that area, with Bournemouth wide man Ben Gannon-Doak working his way back to full fitness, eyebrows were still raised at the decision. While Clarke's men were staging that astonishing 4-2 victory over Denmark in November, Curtis was watching as a fan after being excluded from the Scotland Under-21s set-up. To be in contention for a spot in the World Cup squad just months later is a remarkable rise for the 19-year-old, who is excelling under former Scotland winger Neil McCann in Kilmarnock's bid for Scottish Premiership survival. Now he has an incredible opportunity to prove he is an immediate option for Clarke, and not just one for the future - but will he grasp it?

Source: BBC March 25, 2026 13:27 UTC