John Carver backed new Scotland recruit George Hirst to fill the void left by the injured Lyndon Dykes for the Nations League play-off showdown with Greece.
The 26-year-old Ipswich striker, whose dad David won three caps for England, recently agreed to pledge his allegiance to the nation of his grandfather’s birth.
Hirst was able to be added to Steve Clarke’s squad for the first time over the weekend after “a delay in paperwork” prevented him being listed in the initial pool named last week.
The former Rotherham and Portsmouth forward scored his fourth goal of the season in Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest and Scotland assistant Carver believes he can bring the type of physique and power to the attack that Birmingham striker Dykes – out with a calf injury – usually provides.
“We’ve been monitoring him for months now and when we asked him he was delighted to come and join us,” Carver said.
“I know his dad played for England but he wants to play for Scotland and that’s the type of player we need so he brings us a different dimension.
“Obviously we lost Dykes because of injury and he’s a little bit similar to Lyndon but what a goal he scored at the weekend, what a way to leave his club football and come to international football.
“He’s an intelligent lad, he’s bright and he’s fitted in straight away. I had a good chat with him last night and we spoke about a number of things but most importantly he’s a good player and he certainly brings something to the squad.”
In addition to new faces like Hirst and teenage duo Lennon Miller and James Wilson, Carver is delighted to see two more established internationals make a long-awaited return for the double-header with Greece, in Piraeus on Thursday and at Hampden on Sunday.
Bologna midfielder Lewis Ferguson is back involved for the first time in a year after an ACL injury, while Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has returned for the first time since tearing his hamstring in the Euro 2024 draw with Switzerland in Germany last June.
“It’s great,” said Carver, who is hoping the fresh faces can help Scotland build on an encouraging finish to 2024. “We’ve not seen both of those players for a long time.
“Obviously KT’s here now, I had a good chat with him this morning, and we’re waiting for Lewis to come in so there’s a freshness there, some new faces.
“It gives everybody a lift and a boost. But let’s not forget what we did prior to coming into camp, we had some good performances, some good results especially against Poland, Croatia and Portugal so there’s a bit of confidence in there but also we’ve now got a bit of freshness.”
