Even Ronald Koeman and Virgil van Dijk could not believe Scotland did not manage to find the net during a 4-0 defeat which was not quite as one-sided as the eventual scoreline suggests.
Yes, the Netherlands cut loose in the final 20 minutes, scoring goals two, three and four in the dying stages. But, until then, it was a rather even encounter between two nations stepping up their preparations for the looming European Championships.
Koeman, the Oranje coach, admits that the scoreline flattered the hosts in Amsterdam. For opposite number Steve Clarke, meanwhile, the solution to Scotland’s striker headaches continues to elude the former Kilmarnock boss.
Does Clarke opt for the movement and work-rate of Che Adams? The targetman talents of Lyndon Dykes? Or, perhaps, the pure goalscoring ability ofLawrence Shankland?
It was the latter who got the nod in the Dutch capital. And while the reported Rangers target’s performance will be remembered for that miss – clipping the bar when the goal was at his mercy – Scotland team-mate John McGinn insists that a very uncharacteristic error should not distract from what was an ‘outstanding’ centre-forward’s display up against perhaps the finest defender on planet earth.
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“I thought Shanks was outstanding,” McGinn tells the Daily Record. “It’s not easy coming in and playing against (Liverpool’s Virgil) Van Dijk – one of the best defenders in the world.
“But he was so strong, holding it up, laying it off, linking the play really well. He was a good out-ball for us and I think he’ll be happy.”
Shankland, so often linked with Rangers, Celtic and countless clubs south of the border with his Hearts contract expiring and fresh terms unlikely to be agreed, has plundered 27 goals during another prolific campaign at club level.
His tally for Scotland, however, stands at a measly two. Aston Villa ace McGinn, however, insists that there is more to Shankland’s game than goals, with his back-to-goal talents equally useful for a national team who may cede possession against top opposition.
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“The goals will always come when you’re a player like Shanks,” McGinn adds. “And we’re proud of how he played. The chances come and go and the next one will be in the back of the net.”
According to reports, Hearts could lose Shankland for just £3 million this summer with his deal running out in 2025.
