GRANT HANLEY spent three years in the international wilderness, but it isn’t uncharitable to say that his absence had hardly made the Tartan Army pine for his return to the Scotland fold. His critics are being forced to eat a fair old potion of humble pie though, with the Norwich City captain fast becoming one of the first names on Steve Clarke’s teamsheet.

From his physicality to his turn of pace, Hanley’s development into a trustworthy performer at international level has been striking, and assistant manager John Carver has gone as far to say that the 29-year-old is now Scotland’s most reliable conscript.

“He’s been a rock,” Carver said. “And certainly since I’ve been here, he’s been our most consistent player.

“He’s a beast, he’s an animal. But you know what, off the park he’s low maintenance. He’s one of the nicest guys. He’s up first thing in the morning for breakfast, cheerful, big smile on his face. He’s a gentle giant.

“I like how he is off the pitch and I love the way he is on the pitch. He gives everything.

“Let’s not forget, he’s approaching 40 caps over 10 years. He didn’t get a cap for three years.

“But since he’s come in he’s been amazing. He was a big loss when we lost him against Croatia in that final game of the Euros.

“You can see he’s worked extremely hard to get himself fit. He’s had a tough start to the season with Norwich.

“But from a personal point of view, he’s the linchpin for us – that’s for sure.”

Far from throwing his toys out of the pram when he was overlooked for so manty Scotland squads, Hanley showed a determination to fight through injuries and claw his way back into the national team set-up, entirely in-keeping with the exemplary attitude Carver sees him display every day in the camp.

“He wants to play for Scotland, he’s a proud Scotsman and he wants to be here,” he said.

“But he’s also had conversations with Andy Robertson and other players who have said that things are going in the right direction here. They’ve told him he has to be part of it, that he should be part of it. And he wants that.

“You can see how he is around the place he brings people together.

“He’s got that big experience that we need to help those younger players come through the system.

“I think he’s got a good few years left in him, the way he’s playing at the moment. He’s stepping up to the plate and we’re all delighted with him.”

Meanwhile, Carver has told the Scotland players to be wary of an Austrian side who will be smarting from their 5-2 defeat to Israel on Saturday night, as the Scots look to give their World Cup qualification hopes a massive boost in Vienna.

And while he would love to come back with three points, he believes that avoiding defeat is the main priority.

“I think we need to go and get a positive result, that’s the most important thing,” he said. “Let’s not lose.

“Denmark play Israel, and that’s a big game for me. Denmark left a few players out last night. I think they left about nine of their starting team out because they know they’ve got a big game on Tuesday night.

“We’re going to take care of our business, we’ve got to have a positive result.

“We know Austria are a good side. In particular, (Marko) Arnautovic’s goal last night is something special and we’ve got to deal with him. And we all know (David) Alaba’s the special player who has just got the big move.

“So, it’s a difficult game – but it’s a game we’re going to have a go at, that’s for sure. But we’ve got to come out of it with a positive result.

“If we get a start like we did [on Saturday] night, that’s what we’ll be looking for. But let’s not forget, Austria will be like a wounded animal.

“They are a good side – and they’ve got beat off a good side, let’s not forget that.”