'We’ll help him' - Carver backs Shankland to start firing again for Scotland

Scotland assistant coach John Carver backed Lawrence Shankland to start finding the net after the Hearts striker’s chances of playing for his country increased following the withdrawal of Che Adams.

Torino forward Adams has pulled out of the Nations League double header against Croatia and Poland with a thigh injury. Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Stuart Armstrong has been recalled after New York Red Bulls attacker Lewis Morgan also withdrew.

Tommy Conway, Lyndon Dykes and Shankland are competing for the centre-forward role for Friday’s Hampden clash with Croatia.

The least experienced option, Conway, has scored five times for Middlesbrough this season but both Dykes and Shankland have found goals hard to come by.

Dykes has only scored once, against Fulham Under-21s, since joining Birmingham in August while the goals have suddenly dried up for Shankland. The Hearts captain scored 33 times for club and country last season but has only netted once in 18 matches this term.

Carver said: “I watched the game against Omonia because it was my ex-team and he had a couple of chances. And listen, when you’re a good player and you’re a goalscorer, eventually that barren spell happens.

“He’s around good people, we’ll help him. Sometimes it’s a bit of a relief coming away from club football, because you’re in a different environment.

“We all know what he’s about. He’s a goalscorer, he gets between the posts, he plays inside the 18-yard box. If he has to play for us or start or come on, that’s what we want him to do and we’ll encourage him to do that.

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“The good thing is, he’s actually getting into those positions to actually try and score goals. It’s just not coming off for him now, where it did last season and the season before that. So, everybody’s in full support of Lawrence. We love him to bits and the players around him understand it.

“You’ve got Dykesy in there, you’ve got young Tommy Conway, who’s just starting his career, and everybody’s being supportive. They actually sit next to each other in the dressing room before training, which is good and the spirit’s good.

“I sat with Lawrence this morning, having a good chat with him and he’ll be okay.”

Adams was a major doubt when the squad was named due to a thigh injury, which saw him miss Torino’s city derby with Juventus at the weekend.

Carver said: “It’s a blow when you lose any player, but in particular a player of his quality. He’s got off to a good start in Italy, and you could tell when he came into the last camp how confident he was, scoring a few goals and quite excited by his new future.

“So it’s disappointing, but again, we’ve had so many disappointments in the last few months, losing so many top players, and we just have to deal with it.”