Steve Clarke loyalty 

Top ten most valuable players left out of Scotland World Cup squad

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Steve Clarke has named his 26-man squad for the World Cup as Scotland return to the most prestigious international tournament for the first time in 28 years. Clarke is renowned for showing loyalty to important players during his tenure and there’s no real surprises in his selection. Ross Stewart has been rewarded for his impressive end of the season with Southampton by earning a recall after a four-year absence, while Findlay Curtis’ excellence on-loan at Kilmarnock has secured his place.

Clarke’s loyalty is evidenced by picking eight defenders and seven midfilers who were included in every squad during the qualification campaign. Departing Liverpool star Andy Robertson will captain his country in their three games against Brazil, Morocco and Haiti. John McGinn and Scott McTominay have often been Scotland’s two talisman in recent years and midfield is the unquestionably the strongest area of the squad. As with every squad announcement, the omission of several players has been questioned and we’ve listed the top ten most valuable players that were excluded – we’ve not included players that are injured.

Top ten most valuable players left out of Scotland World Cup squad