Bristol City star named in provisional Scotland squad for Euro 2024 as comeback story continues

Ross McCrorie’s dream has been realised as eight months on from lying in agony on a hotel bed as he dealt with a career-threatening bacterial infection, the Bristol City defender has been named in Steve Clarke’s provisional Scotland squad for Euro 2024.

But there is no place in the group for Robins teammate Tommy Conway with the striker tipped by some pundits north of the border to be a wildcard selection due to a lack of attacking options available to Clarke. The Scotland manager has named uncapped Liverpool teenager Ben Doak ahead of Conway, who’s been a regular for the Under-21 squad over the last 18 months.

McCrorie has been included in the 28-strong group with regular right-backs Aaron Hickey and Nathan Patterson both ruled out due to hamstring injuries. The 26-year-old has been called up before, to last summer’s training camp in Spain, but is yet to play at senior level after being capped at every level from Under-15 through to U21.

Clarke needs to trim the group to 26 by June 7 before Scotland kick-off the competition with a match against Germany at the Allianz Arena in Munich on June 14. Scotland have been placed in Group A alongside the hosts, Hungary and Switzerland and also have pre-tournament friendlies against Gibraltar on Monday, June 3 and Finland on Friday, June 7.

It marks a huge turnaround in fortunes for McCrorie, and testament to his strength of character, as shortly after joining City for pre-season last summer having signed from Aberdeen he suffered a bacterial infection in his pelvis which required surgery and left him out of action for almost six months.

After forcing his way into the Robins side in January, the former Rangers academy product went on to make 22 appearances under Liam Manning, playing at right-back, right wing-back and as a right-sided centre-back in a three.

McCrorie has previously mentioned that the prospect of making the Scotland squad at the end of the season was a consistent motivating factor for him as he underwent rehab at the start of the campaign.

“I was disappointed not to get in the March squad but I had to be realistic with myself, I had only come back a month prior. But Scotland is a major motivation to get to the Euros,” McCrorie said in April.

“It’s never guaranteed if Scotland will get into a finals again, hopefully there’s many more to come but you want to try and grab an opportunity if it arises and hopefully I can keep putting in the performances and you never know, anything can happen.”

If McCrorie makes the cut for the final squad, it will interrupt his pre-season for City, something he was also denied last summer due to his illness. Should Scotland be knocked out in the group stage, his tournament will end on June 23 and with around a fortnight’s break that means the defender won’t return to Bristol until the second week of July, roughly a month before the 2024/25 season starts. But if Scotland progress into the knockouts, that will push dates back further.

Scotland squad

Goalkeepers: Zander Clark (Hearts), Craig Gordon (Hearts), Angus Gunn (Norwich), Liam Kelly (Motherwell)

Defenders: Liam Cooper (Leeds United), Grant Hanley (Norwich), Jack Hendry (Al-Ettifaq), Ross McCrorie (Bristol City), Scott McKenna (Copenhagen), Ryan Porteous (Watford), Anthony Ralston (Celtic), Andy Robertson (Liverpool), John Souttar (Rangers), Greg Taylor (Celtic), Kieran Tierney (Real Sociedad)

Midfielders: Stuart Armstrong (Southampton), Ryan Christie (Bournemouth), Billy Gilmour (Brighton), Ryan Jack (Rangers), Kenny McLean (Norwich), John McGinn (Aston Villa), Callum McGregor (Celtic), Scott McTominay (Manchester United)

Forwards: Che Adams (Southampton), Ben Doak (Liverpool), Lyndon Dykes (Queens Park Rangers), James Forrest (Celtic), Lawrence Shankland (Hearts)

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