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Austin MacPhee quits Scotland as Aston Villa set-piece guru puts family first

Aston Villa set-piece specialist Austin MacPhee has quit Scotland
-Credit: (Image: SNS Group)


Scotland set-piece guru Austin MacPhee has decided to step down from the national team.

The Aston Villa coach has been a crucial member of Steve Clarke's backroom team over the last three years and helped the Scots reach Euro 2024 in the summer. However, he won't be involved in next month's Nations League double-header against Croatia and Portugal.

It's believed the former Hearts assistant has made the reluctant decision to quit due to family reasons, with his father currently battling illness. The 44-year-old already has a hectic schedule under Unai Emery at Villa and will now spend more time with his family while focusing on his club job.

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The news will come as a major blow to boss Clarke, who recently replaced James Morrison with Alan Irvine. Clarke is set to name his squad for October's clashes on Tuesday but it's understood the Hampden boss will take time to find a successor.

Scotland travel to Croatia on Saturday October 12 before hosting Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in Glasgow three days later.