Steve Clarke will give himself ‘a couple of days’ to decide on whether or not to call up a replacement for the injured Lyndon Dykes, saying that no matter what he does, there is no way he can compensate for the loss of the striker.
The Scotland manager was devastated for Dykes after he injured his ankle at the national team’s Glasgow training base last week and was subsequently ruled out of the European Championships.
Clarke had previously said he would look to his under-21 squad should he require any replacements for injured members of his original 28-man provisional squad, with a senior call up for Bristol City striker Tommy Conway under consideration.
But the national team’s head coach says that there is nothing he can do to replicate the qualities that Dykes brings to his side.
“I have got a couple of days so will have a think about what to do,” Clarke said.
“What is the best for the group, for the team and take it from there.
“The reason I’m taking a little bit of time is so I can think about everything, the whole picture. The 21’s is an area where we will look, for sure, but there are other options out there.
“Nobody replicates what Lyndon brings. Lyndon brings what he does, what his qualities are.
“One of the best phone calls I have ever made as the head coach of Scotland was to Lyndon, right at the very start when he had the option of Scotland or Australia.
“Since then, we have had a great relationship. Lyndon is devastated that he is not going but I am really disappointed myself that he is not going.
“It wasn’t good. It was quite near the end of the session as well, which always seems to hurt a little bit more. We just stopped the session after that, there was no point in carrying on.
“It was just the way he landed on his ankle. That was it. No connection with any player. He was trying to get on the end of a cross and it was just the way he landed.”
Dykes has gone home to process the blow of missing out on a major tournament for his nation, and Clarke is leaving the door open for him to travel to Germany and be around the squad in a supporting role if he feels up to it.
“[It’s] too early for that,” he said.
“He has gone home, he has his family with him. I’ll give him a ring at the start of next week and see where we go.”
