STEVE Clarke has revealed that Craig Gordon turned down the offer of a new contract at Celtic and moved to Hearts so he could get back playing regularly again and force his way back into the Scotland side.

Gordon, who had lost his place in the Parkhead first team to Fraser Forster during the 2019/20 campaign, returned to his boyhood heroes on a free transfer last summer.

The Glasgow giants played Scott Bain, Vasilis Barkas and Conor Hazard between the sticks last season – but none of them were able to hold down a regular starting spot.

And Celtic’s bid to make Scottish football history by becoming the first club to complete 10-In-A-Row ended in disappointment and failure.

The quadruple treble winners had wanted former Sunderland player Gordon to sign an extension – but Clarke revealed he was keen to play on a weekly basis and reclaim his place in the national team.

“Craig just wanted to play football and he felt that leaving Celtic was the best way to do that,” he said. “I had spoken to Craig a few times over the years and he has always known what I think of him as a goalkeeper.

“One of the conversations we had he actually said got me. He said: ‘Maybe I’ll have to leave to get first team football to get involved with Scotland again’. That’s what he wanted, to be involved.”

Clarke, whose team will attempt to bounce back from their Euro 2020 disappointment with a morale-boosting result in their Qatar 2022 qualifier against Denmark in Copenhagen next Wednesday, has been disappointed that David Marshall has not had any game time at Derby County this season.

He had to leave the experienced goalkeeper out of his squad for the Group F triple header – Scotland will also play Moldova at home and Austria away during the international break - yesterday.

But the former Newcastle United, Chelsea and Liverpool assistant has complete faith that Gordon, who has won 57 caps and should get the nod to start in the Parken Stadium, will perform well.

“Now the way it’s fallen, in this camp for this squad, he’ll be the No1 goalkeeper,” he said. “And I look forward to seeing him play.

“He’ll work with Chris Woods (the former Rangers and England keeper has replaced Stevie Woods as goalkeeping coach) who will be a good addition to the squad. Hopefully the goalkeepers will learn a little bit from him as well.”