Scotland’s hopes for Euro 2024 have been dealt a blow as Aaron Hickey, the 21-year-old Brentford full-back, has been sidelined due to a persistent hamstring injury, preventing him from participating in the tournament.
Hickey, who hasn’t seen any action for both club and country since October, failed to recover in time for the Euros, making him unavailable for selection by Scotland’s head coach, Steve Clarke.
Joining Hickey on the sidelines is Nathan Patterson, the Everton right-back, who also won’t be featuring in Scotland’s squad for the upcoming tournament.
Confirming the absences, Scotland assistant coach John Carver expressed his sympathies for the young players, stating, “Aaron Hickey is out, Nathan Patterson’s out and we know [Lewis Ferguson] is out as well.”
Despite the setback, Carver remains optimistic about the future prospects of the sidelined players, highlighting their potential participation in future international tournaments. He remarked, “Three young guys who obviously are going to be disappointed. They have got Euros and World Cups ahead of them so hopefully we can continue to qualify and they will get their opportunity down the line.”
In the absence of Hickey and Patterson, Anthony Ralston of Celtic has emerged as a potential candidate for the right-back position under Clarke.
Scotland is set to announce a 28-man squad on Wednesday, with the final 26-man squad for the Euro 2024 finals to be confirmed on 7 June.
The Scottish national team will commence their Euro 2024 campaign with matches against Gibraltar on 3 June and Finland on 7 June before facing hosts Germany in their opening fixture on 14 June.
