Such is the cut-throat nature of football, and the desperation of every Scotland player to get the nod to represent their country against Germany a week on Friday, you might expect that an injury to one of his main rivals for the striker’s position would not have been entirely unwelcome news for Che Adams.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The Southampton forward, like the rest of the members of Steve Clarke’s squad, was absolutely gutted when it was confirmed that Lyndon Dykes had been ruled out of the European Championships with the ankle injury he picked up landing awkwardly in a training session at Lesser Hampden.
Both Clarke and his players appreciate exactly what Dykes brings to this Scotland side, even if many observers outside of the camp don’t. And the same is true of Lawrence Shankland.
Adams would likely have been in pole position to start against Germany in any case, with his goal against Gibraltar in Monday’s friendly underlining the quality that he possesses. Conversely, a narrative appears to have been formed that Shankland - now second striker in the pecking order - who was handed a start in Faro and failed to find the net, didn’t do his own case any favours.
What that rather ignores is that Shankland actually played well in many aspects of his game, and performed the duties that are arguably the most integral to the role of playing up top for this Scotland team admirably.
The caveat of course is that Gibraltar were very modest opposition, and that is arguably being kind. But Shankland also received flak for failing to score against The Netherlands, despite holding the ball up well and linking the play impressively under the close attentions of Virgil van Dijk.
Strikers want to find the net, of course, and know they will be judged on their scoring record, but there has been much about Shankland’s play over his last few caps to admire, and to suggest he may well be able to fill the void left by Dykes by performing many aspects of his role within Clarke’s team.
Certainly, that is the opinion of Adams, who partnered Shankland in attack against Gibraltar after coming off the bench.
Seeing them both on the pitch at the same time in the Euros may be unlikely unless Scotland are chasing a game, but Adams is certain they can be just as effective an alternating duo, causing their own particular problems for defences, as he and Dykes have become for their nation.
“I really feel for Lyndon,” Adams said.
“It’s a huge loss to the squad and the nation. He’s been such a top player and top guy for us. It just makes it harder for everyone to get their heads around.
“Obviously for Lyndon, to miss such a huge occasion is really disappointing. The boys are wanting to do it for him over there.
“We have worked well together, and I’ve enjoyed it. But we have competition for places and Shanks did that the other night. He kept them busy all night to allow me to come on and score.
“He’s done so well this year for Hearts. He’s scored so many goals, so many important goals. He’s a great finisher. He's a great guy to have around the place.
“It’s obviously healthy competition. It’s up to everyone to keep working hard and then it’s up to the manager to pick the team. There is a good connection with us off the pitch, it’s like that throughout the group, to be honest, as everyone is friends. That’s what makes the news about Lyndon so hard for everyone.
“The morale in the group is still high though. We have been in that mode for a long time. We’ve not had the best results in friendlies but games like the other night will give us confidence.
“The morale is always there with such a close-knit team.”
And what is a comfort to Adams, and should be to the Tartan Army, he feels, is that there are goals spread throughout this Scotland team.
The pressure he feels then isn’t necessarily to find the net himself, but to do the dirty work that allows others to do so from deeper positions.
“Everyone pitches in with goals,” he said.
“You look at the amount of goals John (McGinn) gets, Ryan (Christie) scored again the other day, Scott McTominay got a load in qualification.
“For us guys it’s about bullying defenders and getting us up the pitch. Everyone looks out for the goals, but it’s maybe the other things that people maybe don’t notice.”
While recognising that there is much more to a Scotland striker’s role than scoring goals, though, Adams admits that it was nice to see his thumping volley find the net on Monday, his first for his country in almost two years and 11 appearances since scoring against Armenia in June 2022.
“The goal was nice,” he said.
“I’d not scored for a while in a Scotland shirt. I have to say, it felt good.
“It’s probably the best strike I’ve had in a long while. It is good to score for Scotland and contribute to a victory.
“It’s about building confidence now and doing it on the biggest stage. All strikers get confidence from scoring.
“You have that belief that whenever a chance comes your way you are ready to take it.”
