Tierney return a selection poser for Scotland boss Clarke

The return of Kieran Tierney has given Scotland head coach Steve Clark “a lot to think about” going into the Nations League play-off with Greece.

The Arsenal defender picked up a hamstring injury during Euro 2024, missing all of the matches in Scotland’s debut campaign in the top tier of the competition.

The 27-year-old has been used sparingly by the London club, starting just twice in 11 appearances since late December.

He has been an integral player for Clarke, mostly deployed on the left of a back three.

But Scotland have had success using two central defenders in his absence, finishing third in their group to avoid automatic demotion.

“As a coach, you want as many difficult choices as possible,” Clarke said ahead of Thursday’s first leg in Athens. “I’ve got a few of them.

“It gives us another option. We’ve discussed it. Hopefully, we can come up with the right solution for the game.”

Scotland finished their League A section strongly, beating Croatia and Poland after a home draw with Portugal.

“The team has been good with a back four,” Clarke said. “Obviously, we changed the whole way we approached the game in the Nations League.

“The group stages, we went four. It worked. It worked well because we also had the little outlet on the right-hand side with the pace of Ben Doak and we didn’t have the option of putting Kieran into the team.

“So, yeah, it’s given me a lot to think about.”