GORDON Strachan said last night that Jordan Rhodes was the best goalscorer Scotland have got and hinted that now was the time for him to push his case for regular inclusion in the national team.
The Oldham-born 25-year-old, who qualifies due to the schooling rule, has been brought into the international fold for the first time in 16 months for today's Euro 2016 qualifier against Gibraltar at Hampden Park, opponents which should be perfect for his predatory skill set. While his starting line-up for the match remains a closely guarded secret, Strachan said last night that the Blackburn Rovers striker would definitely feature at some point.
"Jordan is probably the best out-and-out goalscorer we've got," said Strachan. "He will find it easier playing with us now than it was two years ago. We make it easier for our striker to play with us now. We have evolved from the last time he was in the squad. And although he's not evolved with us, he has the intelligence to get better every time because he can take things in.
"Jordan is a fantastic lad, he's been brought up the right way," the national team boss added. "But we have a few players that this could be the right type of game for them, I picked the squad with that in mind. It's up to everyone to play well enough to be in the side. But it can't be a one-off [for him] because we are playing two games. He's already played in one and he's going to play in another one."
The squad trained at a wet, windy Hampden Park yesterday, with the exception of Allan McGregor, although Strachan admitted he could play any one of his three goalkeepers - David Marshall, Craig Gordon or McGregor - without "losing any sleep". With Darren Fletcher approaching a return to his best form, another decision rests on the captaincy, although there was little surprise when Scott Brown addressed the media in the press conference slot usually reserved for national team captain. "We're not sure who the captain or what the team is," Brown said. "We'll find out tomorrow. But there are a lot of leaders in the squad."
With Republic of Ireland hosting Poland, and Germany visiting Georgia, Scotland could even be top of Group D by the close of play. "If I look at the table on Sunday and we're top I'll think that's great," said Strachan. "I'll look at it and go, that's fantastic - that's where we want to be."
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