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Who could Scotland turn to replace Lyndon Dykes in Euro 2024 squad? – BBC Sport
Scotland will have to do without Lyndon Dykes at Euro 2024 after the Queens Park Rangers forward was ruled out with an injury picked up in training.
Steve Clarke’s provisional squad now sits at 27, with the final selection of 26 heading to Germany.
Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland are the only remaining centre forwards, while uncapped teenager Ben Doak has been used through the middle at under-21 level.
Should the manager decide to call up a replacement for Dykes, what are Clarke’s options?
Tommy Conway
The Scotland Under-21 international scored 12 goals in 43 Bristol City appearances this season.
By comparison, Dykes only found the net seven times in 49 QPR games.
What Conway lacks is experience at senior international level but he scored in his last two outings for the 21s.
Whether it’s this summer or not, the Taunton-born forward is likely to force his way into the Scotland squad at some point.
Ryan Fraser
Opting for the winger, who spent the season on loan at Southampton from Newcastle United, would not be a like-for-like replacement for target man Dykes.
Fraser, though, is familiar with the Scotland set-up and three of his four international goals have come in Clarke teams.
He provided eight goals and three assists for Saints this term. However, the last of his 26 caps came in 2022.
Ryan Hardie
A more natural replacement for Dykes as a central striker, the Plymouth Argyle man boasts 13 goals from the most recent campaign.
However, the most recent of those came in late February.
The 27-year-old, who has never been called up before, is accustomed to playing in a front two so could be a useful foil for Adams or Shankland.
Ross Stewart
It’s been a difficult couple of seasons for the former Ross County number nine, who has the same kind of strength and presence as Dykes.
After netting 11 times in 17 Sunderland appearances, Stewart’s 2022-23 season was ended by an Achilles injury.
He moved to newly relegated Southampton at the end of the campaign but a hamstring injury restricted him to only four appearances from the bench and he is still awaiting his first Saints goal.
His goal record overall is solid enough and he did feature twice in May as Southampton won promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs.
Clarke capped Stewart twice in 2022, with appearances as a substitute.
Kevin Nisbet
Image source, Getty Images
Another player blighted by injury this season, featuring for just 22 minutes since the end of January.
The former Hibernian striker had a hard time during his debut campaign at Millwall, scoring just five goals.
A hamstring issue sidelined the 27-year-old for close to three months, but he did return for the last few games, only to be omitted for “disciplinary reasons” on the final day.
He has one goal from 11 international appearances and came on as a substitute in all three matches at the last Euros.
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