Gordon Strachan's plans for next month's friendlies against the USA and Norway have been further hampered by the news that Allan McGregor will be out for up to six weeks with a thigh problem.
The Scotland manager was already without Shaun Maloney for the two games but now he will also be unable to select the Hull City goalkeeper, who was injured in his club's 2-1 weekend defeat at Everton. "This couldn't have come at a worse time for us," said Steve Bruce, the Hull City manager, of the 31-year-old. "Allan will be a big miss for us because he has played very, very well and we wish him a speedy recovery."
Another player sidelined by injury is Kenny Miller, who has flown to Sweden to consult a knee specialist after missing a substantial chunk of the MLS season. The Vancouver Whitecaps striker, who retired from national service after the friendly defeat by England, has struggled with groin and hamstring problems and is now suffering from tendinitis in one of his knees.
"Kenny's had tendinitis in his knee for most of the season and it's just got worse and worse," said Martin Rennie, Vancouver's Scottish coach, whose own future is in doubt after a disappointing season. "So he's going to see a specialist on that and once we have an update on that we'll let everyone know."
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