Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has given his thoughts on a potential battle between Ryan Jack and Scott Brown at international level, as quoted by the Glasgow Evening Times.
Jack has just come off the back of an impressive 180 minutes of Scotland action.
Benefitting from the absence of Scott McTominay, he played the full game in the centre of midfield against both Cyprus and Kazakhstan, increasing his chances of starting the Nations League play-off against Israel in March.
However, it seems Celtic skipper and Old Firm villain, Scott Brown, is angling for a return to the international fold [Daily Record].
When questioned, Gerrard seemed to think the veteran being available for selection would be a positive for Scotland, but then moved to praise Jack for his recent contributions.
“First and foremost, it is a decision for Scott Brown on whether to make himself available,” he said, as quoted by the Glasgow Evening Times. “Then it’s over to Steve Clarke. I think Steve Clarke will pick the players he feels are best to make Scottish football a success again. But I think for Steve Clarke’s sake, the more players that are available the better.”
“I won’t try and make Steve Clarke’s decisions. But it’s no surprise to me that with Ryan Jack in the team they have won the last two games. No surprise at all, because I have seen it first-hand here.
“The midfield is probably the strongest area of the Scotland team, but let me tell you right now, Ryan Jack is a match for any of them in his own way – what he gives to a team and what he gives to a manager.”
Verdict
Jack already has plenty of competition in the midfield area with Scotland, but any potential retirement u-turn from Brown shouldn’t concern him.
The Celtic player is an experienced menace, but Jack is operating at a higher level right now, and especially after his performances in the last two games, has earned the shirt.
It would be shameless of Brown to come out of retirement for a second time. The 34-year-old former captain has 55 caps for his country, but has twice made the decision to end his national team involvement to focus on club duties.
Having watched on as Scotland struggled in recent times, it would be ridiculous for him to come back into the fold as soon as there was a sniff of a major championship. Even if he does formally declare himself available to return, he should not be considered for selection.
