Stuart Armstrong faces a race against time to be fit to play for Scotland in the Euros
- Steve Clarke does not have to worry about injuries in the run-up to the final in Germany
- But the Scotland boss was boosted by good news about Armstrong and full-back Hickey
Stuart Armstrong faces a race against time to be fit to play for Scotland at the European Championship.
The midfielder was stretched out playing for Southampton against Cardiff and feared a serious injury would destroy his hopes of flying to Germany.
However, as Mail Sport first revealed, tests have revealed a thigh muscle injury that is expected to heal in time for Armstrong to add the 50th cap he won in the 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland at Hampden last month Park.
Southampton’s Stuart Armstrong left the field on a stretcher during last Saturday’s match
And while the former Celtic and Dundee United midfielder will no longer play a role in his club’s bid for promotion to the English Premier League, boss Russell Martin admits he still has a chance of making it to the European Championship.
“It’s his quad, it’s a muscle injury,” Martin told the club website.
‘We will do everything we can to get him fit for the European Championship for Scotland.
‘I think he has a good chance of doing that, I don’t think he really has a chance of playing for us.
Armstrong is expected to recover in time, adding to the 50th cap he won in last month’s 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland at Hampden Park
‘He’s got great hopes of getting into the Scotland squad because he’s been fantastic for them and for us this season and has been in every side, and I think there’s a realistic chance he’ll need to be fit for that because of the injury are.
‘As a football club we will do everything we can to help him get there. It wasn’t as serious as we all feared, but it is serious enough to keep him out for a while now, during which time he unfortunately won’t be able to help us.’
Scotland’s first match of the tournament is against hosts Germany on June 14. And Steve Clarke has already been hit hard by the loss of Bologna midfielder Lewis Ferguson and Everton right-back Nathan Patterson.
However, Mail Sport understands that optimism is rising over a return to fitness for Brentford right-back Aaron Hickey before Clarke announces his final 23-man squad on June 7.
The Scots will take on Gibraltar and Finland before flying to Germany as Hickey hopes to gain some game time.