Steve Clarke has made the Scotland winger picture pretty clear before the Haiti game in Boston on June 14. Ben Gannon-Doak was described by the Scotland manager as "a little bit rusty" because he is "lacking minutes", while Findlay Curtis was praised after a confident end to the season and could force his way into the side.

Why Curtis has moved into the conversation

Clarke did not dress it up. "Findlay has come off the end of the season in a totally different situation. He's on a high, he's doing this, he's doing that and his goal at the weekend might have been scruffy but he scored it because he's touch sharp," he said. He added: "So he's in a great place. He's very confident and he's a really good boy. I really like him."

That view was backed up by what Curtis did against Curaçao, where he scored a quick-fire equaliser and won the second-half penalty that Ryan Christie converted. For a manager weighing up an opener, that sort of impact matters more than reputation.

Clarke also suggested Curtis could start against Haiti, which is a significant hint even if selection is still open. Ben Gannon-Doak, by contrast, has not had the same rhythm. In one recent league outing he played 43 minutes, then had spells of 6, 12, 14 and 10 minutes across other recent appearances, which is exactly the sort of workload Clarke was getting at when he called him rusty.

What Clarke is really weighing up

The Scottish set-up is preparing for its first World Cup finals campaign since France 1998, so there is no appetite for carrying players who are short of sharpness into the opener. Clarke said timing matters, and that feels like the key line here.

The £25m Bournemouth wonderboy still has the talent to swing a match, but the recent minutes do not suggest he is arriving in the same shape as Curtis. Clarke has not closed the door on anyone, but his comments point to a simple reality: the player in form is the one making the stronger case right now.

If Curtis starts in Boston, it will be because he has earned the argument with his end-of-season form and his performance against Curaçao, not because the shirt was handed to him. For Gannon-Doak, the next chance to sharpen up may come after June 14.

Compiled by the ClutchBrief Desk with AI assistance, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →