Steve Clarke explains Nathan Patterson call-off ahead of Austria
The Rangers full-back is one of three players unable to travel
Last updated 6th Sep 2021
Steve Clarke says injuries and Scotland's tight schedule are to blame for their reduced squad heading to Austria.
The national side announced this morning that Nathan Patterson, Kenny McLean and Ryan Fraser had all been forced to pull-out of the squad for their trip to Vienna.
The manager has now explained their absence from the squad and admits having three games in less than a week makes it tough to manage his squad.
He said: "Nathan (Patterson) and Kenny (McLean) have injuries from the game.
"It's such a short turnaround. It's difficult to get them back in time for this one so they don't travel.
"Unfortunately Ryan Fraser picked up a knock in training.
"I did say after the game last night that I had seven or eight doubts - so losing three means I have four or five who have made it".
Hibernian defender Paul McGinn has been drafted in as a replacement at short notice with the squad flying out to Vienna on Monday afternoon.
Steve Clarke says he tried to call-up more players over the course of the international break - but has revealed he hasn't been successful in most of his attempts.
He said: "It's almost impossible to do with the turnaround and the schedule for testing.
"Paul (McGinn) is not the first one we've tried to call up over the course of the camp.
"We've tried other players but Paul is the first one we've managed to get in.
"We're grateful for that and we're grateful for Paul for making himself available for testing very late last night, to jump through the hoops and make sure he's part of the squad.
"It's good to have him on board as part of the team".