Stewart & Curtis in Scotland World Cup squad

Ross Stewart celebrates after scoring for Southampton

Image source, PA MediaImage caption,

Ross Stewart has scored eight goals in his past 16 club appearances

Published47 minutes ago

Ross Stewart ends four years in the international wilderness with a place in Scotland's World Cup squad, while teenager Findlay Curtis is also included but there is no spot for Lennon Miller.

And Hearts' Craig Gordon, 43, is one of the three goalkeepers included by head coach Steve Clarke.

Southampton striker Stewart, 29, made both of his senior international appearances in 2022 and has not been in the Scotland squad since that summer after suffering injury troubles.

He has scored 11 goals in 33 Southampton games this season, including one in the Championship play-off semi-final win against Middlesbrough.

Boro's Scottish winger Tommy Conway, 23, also featured in that semi-final but an injury picked up in the second leg rules him out of the World Cup.

Rangers winger Curtis, 19, made his debut against Japan in March and finished the season with five goals on loan at Kilmarnock. Fellow winger Ben Gannon-Doak, who only recently returned from injury at Bournemouth, makes the squad.

Midfielder Miller, who has made 25 appearances for Udinese this season, won all four of his Scotland caps last year but did not feature in the March friendly defeats by Ivory Coast and Japan.

The Scots face Haiti (14 June), Morocco (19 June) and Brazil (24 June) in Group C.

The first two group games will take place in Massachusetts, with the final fixture in Miami.

Clarke's side will face Curacao in a Hampden friendly on 30 May then play their final warm-up game against Bolivia in New Jersey on 6 June.

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Figure caption,

Sportscene analysis: 'Rangers must create space for Curtis next season'

Keepers light on games, Shankland in best form

Gordon and fellow keepers Angus Gunn and Liam Kelly have made 15 appearances between them this season, with five of Gunn's games for Scotland and his only Nottingham Forest appearance coming as a substitute.

In attack, Torino's Che Adams, Charlton Athletic's Lyndon Dykes, Ipswich Town's George Hirst, Hearts' Lawrence Shankland and Stewart make the squad ahead of Hull City's Oli McBurnie.

McBurnie scored 18 times this season - more than Adams, Dykes, Hirst and Stewart and two short of Shankland's club haul.

Eleven of the players selected also featured in Clarke's Euro 2020 and Euro 2024 squads, including Andy Robertson, who continues as captain, Jack Hendry, Scott McKenna, Kieran Tierney, Ryan Christie, Billy Gilmour, Kenny McLean, Scott McTominay and John McGinn, who has the most Scotland goals to his name with 20.

'Gutted for Miller, Stewart deserves it'

BBC Scotland chief sports writer Tom English

Every time Ross Stewart's played, he's been very good. He's a realistic option to start.

The three right-backs is maybe a reflection that Steve Clarke is worried about injury there. It is a lot of defenders.

Findlay Curtis has fronted up for a team struggling to stay in the Premiership.

Former Hearts, Motherwell and Rangers player Andy Halliday

I know Lennon Miller personally, so I'm gutted for him.

We are taking that fifth striker - and Ross Stewart deserves it.

We have incredible players that can produce incredible moments. We've got individual quality. It's just that first game. A win is of vital importance.