5 Lyndon Dykes replacements Scotland could call up as Steve Clarke faces Euro 2024 striker shortage

Scotland's pre-Euro 2024 injury woes have suffered another huge set back after Lyndon Dykes was ruled out of the tournament.

The 28-year-old had to be stretchered off in a training session at Lesser Hampden on Friday afternoon with an unidentified injury, with the SFA now confirming that the Queens Park Rangers man will not take part in the finals in Germany. The news is a hammer blow to Steve Clarke, who only has Lawrence Shankland and Che Adams as the two recognised strikers in his provisional 28-man squad -which will soon be cut to 26 - selected ahead of the flight to Germany.

Dykes' absence has certainly rocked those plans and Clarke could now look elsewhere for another front player to add to this squad. Record Sport takes a look at five men who could fill that void, as Scotland look to progress from the group stages of a major tournament for the first time in their history.

Tommy Conway

One player who many fans would like to see given the call is Bristol City striker Tommy Conway. The 21-year-old enjoyed a decent campaign with the Robins in the English Championship, netting 10 times in 39 matches, one more than the nine goals managed in the previous campaign.

Conway was born down south in Taunton, but qualifies to play for Scotland through his grandfather, who is from Stirling. The youngster has shown glimpse of what he can do in the Tartan blue, having netted twice in six caps at U21 level.

Ross Stewart

The former Ross County hitman may well have already been on the plane to Germany had he not endured a torrid season ravaged with injuries. Stewart's impressive form for Sunderland saw him win a £8 million move to Southampton last summer, but a succession of problems restricted him to just four appearances.

The rangey striker has returned to action in recent weeks and was an unused substitute at Wembley last Saturday as the Saints won promotion back to the Premier League by beating Leeds United 1-0 in the Championship play-off final. The 27-year-old's lack of match sharpness could be a problem going into the Euros, but his goalscoring exploits in recent seasons does give him a chance of being drafted in as Dykes' replacement.

Kevin Nisbet

Millwall forward Kevin Nisbet already has 10 caps to his name, scoring his lone goal so far in a 2-2 draw with the Netherlands in a pre-tournament friendly ahead of the delayed Euro 2020 finals. However, things haven't exactly gone to plan for Nisbet since he swapped Hibs and Edinburgh for East London last June.

Nisbet managed a tally of five goals in 29 matches in all competitions, but his last outing came back in February before he was dropped from the squad by boss Neil Harris due to issues around discipline. It would be a long-shot for the 27-year-old to be brought back into the fray, but Nisbet's knack of finding the back of the net throughout his career is not something that Scotland have in abundance.

Ryan Hardie

Uncapped Ryan Hardie is certainly a wildcard shout, but the Plymouth frontman has got people talking after a fine season with Plymouth Argyle. The ex Rangers kid hit 12 goals in 40 Championship matches avoided relegation back to the English third tier.

Hardie, who previously netted once at U21 level for Scotland, has scored 62 goals in 208 games for the Pilgrims, and enjoyed a decent season in the Premiership on loan at Livingston in 2018/19 where he found the net seven times.

Ryan Fraser

Okay so he is not exactly a striker, but Ryan Fraser is a man who can offer Scotland something different in attacking areas. Despite racking up four goals in 26 caps for his country, the winger has fallen out of favour under Clarke after being frozen out of the first team picture at Newcastle.

But the former Aberdeen youth graduate has got his career back on track with an impressive season on loan at Southampton, scoring six times in 39 league matches to help Russell Martin's men return to the Premier League. Although he hasn't turned out for Scotland since 2022, the 30-year-old is someone who Clarke is very familiar with and who can also play in several different positions.