Former Scotland striker Kris Boyd has backed Che Adams to resume leading the line for his country.
The Tornio forward missed Sebastien Pocognoli’s first camp through injury but is back for the Nations League finale against North Macedonia and Switzerland after netting four Serie A goals this season.
Adams has fresh competition in Oli McBurnie, Robbie Ure and Kieron Bowie. But with 13 goals in 50 caps, Boyd believes the 30-year-old’s experience will be crucial.
“I think Che Adams will come back in,” Boyd said. “If you speak to Steve Clarke, he’ll say Che was one of the biggest reasons why they were able to have the success they did.
“It’s not a coincidence that John McGinn and Scott McTominay’s better performances were when Che Adams was up front because he’ll work his socks off for the team. He’s a threat and he can score goals.
“It’s difficult being that number nine for Scotland because there’s so much more asked of you than just scoring goals, and I think Che Adams does that.
“It will do Robbie Ure and Bowie a lot of good. Going into the last block of fixtures for Scotland, a lot of pressure was on the youngsters because all the chat had been around trying to get a lot of younger ones into the group.
“But to actually stand back and watch one of the experienced players who has been there and done it operate will do them a world of good.
“Oli McBurnie worked ever so hard in the last four games. But I feel as if there’s just something different about Che Adams.
“We can’t ignore the fact that Scotland have been to three of the last four competitions and he has been the striker.
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“With McTominay coming back as well, they all can’t play. So I think finding that balance will be key for Scotland in the next two games.
“Manager after manager has spoken about Scotland having that player who makes a difference in games.
“When you look at other home nations that have had that, you think of Harry Kane and Gareth Bale, world-class superstars. I’m not comparing Scott McTominay to them, but he is that difference-maker for Scotland.
“He is a top player and we have to find a way to get him in that team and get him performing because he has shown that he is Scotland’s talisman.”
Boyd was speaking at the announcement of William Hill as official sponsor of Walking Football Scotland.
The former Rangers forward said: “It’s a great initiative to get people involved from the age of 45. I think the oldest is 93. There are over 5,000 people playing it in Scotland now and hopefully those numbers can grow.
“You can see here, it’s probably a little bit quick for me to take part in it…
“But you can see people coming out and enjoying themselves. It might be that they’ve lost their partners or their wives, and coming out and communicating with others might be just enough to get them through their day.”
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