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'Instrumental' - International boss names Celtic duo as trendsetters - challenges squad to follow
Scotland boss Alex McLeish wants his players who failed badly against Costa Rica to follow the example shown by the Celtic duo of Callum McGregor and Stuart Armstrong.
The duo came on in the second-half of the match and transformed the game, but were still unable to prevent Scotland from sliding to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat.
McLeish believes that if more players follow the lead of the Hoops duo, Scotland could get some success in the future.
“The Celtic players have been instrumental in Scotland’s fortunes over the past few months” McLeish said, as quoted by the Daily Record.
“You know what you’re going to get from them – it’s up to others to reach that standard.”
Scotland haven’t reached a national tournament since the World Cup of 1998, but with a backbone comprised of Armstrong, McGregor, Kieran Tierney and Leigh Griffiths they could well qualify for Euro 2020.
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Football Insider verdict
Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers will be delighted with McLeish’s comments, as it shows that he is doing an excellent job preparing his players to have the right attitude. Scotland didn’t start getting results in the World Cup qualifiers until former manager Gordon Strachan started to select a nucleus of Hoops players, and it looks like McLeish will have to do the same if he wants to succeed in the Euro 2020 qualifiers. Scotland might not qualify for the European Championship in two years time, but if they continue to select the likes of Tierney, Armstrong, McGregor and Griffiths they are giving themselves a chance at the very least.
In other Celtic news, the Hoops could lose three attacking players in the summer
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