Ben Doak. Credit: Imago Images
Scotland manager Steve Clarke is preparing to start Ben Gannon-Doak against Brazil in Miami on Wednesday night as Scotland fight for their World Cup survival.
The Bournemouth winger is set to return to Clarke’s starting XI after sitting on the bench during the 1-0 defeat against Morocco on Friday night in Foxborough.
Brentford full-back Aaron Hickey will not be fit for the Group C clash but should be available for the knockout stages if Scotland advance past Brazil.
Clarke was putting his squad through final preparations in Charlotte on Monday morning before the team flew south to Florida later that afternoon.
The Scotland boss looks set to revert to a back four formation, with Gannon-Doak given licence to take the game to the South Americans down the right flank.
That means Clarke will abandon the more defensive setup deployed against Morocco, when Kieran Tierney was used on the left flank of midfield ahead of fellow left-back Andy Robertson.
Clarke has yet to formally confirm his team selection but spoke carefully about Gannon-Doak’s potential impact, saying: “I know, I get questions all the time about Ben Gannon-Doak.”
He added: “Listen, he’s a player who can bring us something different. But my job as head coach is to make sure I use him and utilise him at the right time.”
Clarke also noted: “It doesn’t always necessarily need to be from the start, but I’m not scared to start anybody if I think he can make the team better.”
There were serious reservations within Clarke’s coaching and medical team about playing Gannon-Doak in back-to-back games after featuring in the opener against Haiti.
The 20-year-old missed six months of last season after suffering a hamstring injury during the 4-2 win over Denmark that sealed Scotland’s World Cup qualification.
Clarke was reluctant to risk overusing the youngster across three consecutive Group C matches, but Gannon-Doak is now considered ready for the high-stakes Brazil fixture.
The manager also moved to defend talisman Scott McTominay, who has not yet hit top form for the Napoli midfielder across Scotland’s first two games.
Clarke said: “Scott is fine. It’s a very, very British thing. You put people on the pedestal then you chop them down. I have got no idea why.”
Clarke pointed to the Napoli man’s contributions, adding: “He hit the post against Curacao, he had the shots against Bolivia and he looks a goal threat going forward.”
Clarke remained optimistic about McTominay’s influence growing, saying: “If he continues to do that going into game three or game four, then hopefully he will end up getting the headlines that he deserves.”
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