Steve Clarke shares final message for Connor Barron after new Scotland snub
Rangers are already heavily represented in the Scotland squad for the 2026 World Cup, but Connor Barron won’t be one of those.
Lawrence Shankland and Findlay Curtis both scored in the 4-1 win over Curacao at Hampden Park on Saturday, with John Souttar and Liam Kelly also involved.
Shankland took the headlines days after signing for Rangers from Hearts, but the injury to former Ibrox star Billy Gilmour left everyone gutted.
Gilmour picked up a knee injury that rules him out of the World Cup, but eyes quickly turned to Barron as a possible replacement.
Despite Barron bouncing back from his own injury superbly at Ibrox, Steve Clark appeared to shock everyone with his final call.
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Tyler Fletcher named in final Scotland squad for World Cup
Despite only playing 17 minutes of senior football before Saturday, Tyler Fletcher of Manchester United has replaced Gilmour on the plane.
The Tartan Army boarded the plane to North America on Sunday morning, with Clarke deciding to leave out Barron and Lennon Miller.
| Tyler Fletcher | IN |
| Connor Barron | OUT |
| Lennon Miller | OUT |
| Andy Irving | OUT |
Clarke was quizzed by Sky Sports on the runway and explained his final message to those who missed out on a spot at the very last minute.
“For myself, it was a really difficult night. I haven’t slept much,” he started.
“I had to disappoint another three players this morning, again, to tell them they missed out. I just felt that Tyler came into the squad this week and showed up really well.
“Obviously, devastated for Billy, also really disappointed for Lennon, Andy Irving and Connor Barron.”
How many Rangers stars could start for Scotland?
Right now, it looks as though there could be two guaranteed starters.
You would think that Souttar and Shankland have to start, and Curtis is clearly loved by Clarke and has put his best foot forward in recent months.
The winger was a surprise call-up to the squad, but given his form on loan at Kilmarnock and his goal against Curacao, he could start that first game against Haiti.
With Scotland taking on Bolivia in one last pre-tournament game on 6 June, all eyes will be on those from Ibrox trying to make sure they stake their claim to start on the biggest stage.
Shankland is on fire right now and is riding the high of signing for his boyhood club.
Unfortunately for Barron, he won’t be able to join his Ibrox teammates, and given the circumstances around it, that hasn’t gone down too well.
If it was Miller that had been given the call after his maiden year in Italy playing at a very high level, that is fine, but a young academy midfielder who has little experience whatsoever is simply wrong.
Of course, Fletcher is highly unlikely to get any minutes, and Clarke will hope this doesn’t backfire.
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