Scotland Issues Injury Update on Andy Robertson After Liverpool Star is Forced Off in Spain

 

Scotland manager Steve Clarke has confirmed that due to a shoulder injury, Andy Robertson will not be able to play against France on Tuesday.

Robertson had to leave the field during Scotland’s 2-0 defeat in Seville on Thursday after a collision with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon. The Liverpool defender was seen clutching his right arm and is now in doubt for the upcoming Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield on Saturday.

Clarke remains optimistic that Robertson, who serves as Scotland’s captain, will recover in time for the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Georgia and Norway in November. However, the left-back has returned to Liverpool for treatment, and it remains uncertain how many matches he will miss for both his club and country.

Scotland is already without one left-back, as Real Sociedad’s Kieran Tierney is currently recovering from a hamstring injury. “We’ll assess his situation, and he’ll return to his club now,” Clarke informed reporters. “It always seems to happen when you lose one player in a position. We lose Kieran, and then Andy sustains a shoulder injury. We’ll monitor his progress and hope he gets back to his club’s action as soon as possible and is ready to assist us in November.”

Clarke acknowledges that Robertson’s absence won’t be heavily felt in Scotland’s friendly against France at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Tuesday. Liverpool supporters, however, expressed immediate concern for their primary left-back after the contact with Simon.

“If the goalkeeper gets to the ball, he can take everything else with him, and Unai Simon has certainly done just that,” remarked former Scotland winger Pat Nevin, who was providing commentary for BBC Radio 5 Live. “Andy Robertson took a significant blow there.”

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Steven Thompson, another former Scotland international, remarked, ‘We’ve got two exceptional left-backs, but currently, both are sidelined. (Nathan) Patterson and (Aaron) Hickey are commendable stand-ins, but they lack the same level of experience in high-stakes matches.’

Scotland would have secured a spot in Euro 2024 if they hadn’t suffered a defeat against Spain last Thursday. Scott McTominay believed he’d netted the opening goal in Seville with a magnificent free-kick, but the goal was contentiously disallowed for the slightest of fouls on Simon.

Spain capitalised on that decision by notching two late goals courtesy of Alvaro Morata and Oihan Sancet. Scotland still have two opportunities to clinch automatic qualification for the tournament in Germany as they face off against Norway and Georgia.

A draw against Norway at Hampden Park will suffice for Scotland, as will a triumph against Georgia in Tbilisi. Clarke’s squad will also secure a spot in Euro 2024 if Norway fails to overcome Spain in Oslo this Sunday. Erling Haaland is available for that pivotal qualifier.”