With Euro 2024 almost upon us, the Celtic fans will most likely get an opportunity to see their heroes in the Dark Blue of the Scotland jersey.
The preparation for the tournament starts tonight at Steve Clarke’s side takes on Gibraltar in the first of two friendlies before the big kick-off in Germany.
With Finland up next on Friday, the chances of seeing Callum McGregor, Anthony Ralston, Greg Taylor and James Forrest on the pitch are high as Clarke assesses who he will take to the tournament and who will miss the final cut.
But Peter Grant has gone one step further. According to the former Celtic hero, there is one player (not McGregor) who doesn’t just need to be selected for the squad, but he must be a stick-on to start for Scotland against Germany for the big tournament curtain-raiser.
Ralston must start for Scotland vs Germany
Anthony Ralston has been one of Celtic’s most consistent fringe players this season. Injuries to key players for Clarke means that the 25-year-old defender is now in contention to earn his seventh cap for Scotland.
And Grant is in absolutely no doubt that he must start against the 16th-best team in the world. [FIFA]
Grant said [Scottish Football Podcast], “Tony Ralston. And I like Ross McCrorie because we had him in the Scotland u21s, but I look at Ralston, he’s played in big games for Celtic you know? Champions League games, he’s never let them down.
“And the one thing if you’re playing with wing-backs, I feel, when you get to the byline, you’ve got to put crosses in the box. You’ve got to put these low deliveries in the box and he does that very well.
“He’s not one that cuts back and looks to pass it back into midfield. He will deliver the ball. And if you’ve got somebody like Lawrence Shankland up front, I think he’d be living off it.
“Because when you play wing backs, once you’re by the defensive line, I think you have to put the ball in the box and I think Tony Ralston’s got better quality.
“And if you want to drop into a back five, he gives you that aggressiveness in the one-on-one situations.
“He’s quick enough and he’s strong enough and in his one-on-one situations. He does it very, very well and he defends his back post which is always important.
“Even though you’re a good attacker, you have to be a good defender when you’re playing that role. And he does that very well.”
Grant is correct, Ralston has never let anyone down whenever he has been called upon whether it be for club or country.
Described as ‘top quality‘ by Alistair Johnston, I hope the Celtic defender does get picked because as well as being a potent attacking threat in that wing-back role, he is also a very reliable defender.
I expect Ralston to get the nod against Gibraltar tonight and, hopefully, he can do enough to convince Steve Clarke that he is a must for the Euro 2024 squad.