Lawrence Shankland breaks silence on Scotland miss and reveals Euro 2024 message from Steve Clarke

Hearts striker taking positives despite failing to convert against Netherlands

Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland refuses to over-think his missed chance for Scotland as he vowed to keep on doing what got him the opportunity.

Shankland hit the bar from a glorious opportunity after being handed a start against Netherlands in Amsterdam. The striker was far from the only player to squander an opening on the night as a highly encouraging performance ended in a 4-0 defeat following a late collapse.

With 28 goals to his name already this season, including one for his country, the 28-year-old’s campaign will not be defined by one that got away.

Scotland's Lawrence Shankland after hitting the crossbar in the 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

Shankland, who has recovered from illness ahead of Hearts’ game with Livingston on Saturday, said: “Listen, it was a good opportunity for me to score, but it’s not the first chance I have missed and it won’t be the last.

“That’s the life of a striker. I did everything right, it was just a wee bit higher than I wanted it to go. But I wouldn’t change what I did. I would still go for the same finish. Aye, it was disappointing it didn’t go in, but it’s one of those things. I am sure I will miss more but I will definitely keep putting myself in a position to miss them.

“You can’t overthink it. That’s the worst thing you can do. It was a great chance, I won’t deny that, but it didn’t go in and that’s life, so you move on. I’ve done what I’ve done all season and it’s got me in the squad and got me game time. So I don’t see the need to change it. I will just look to keep doing well for Hearts and if I do that I give myself a good chance of being involved.”

Shankland felt he was selected as a test of his all-round game against the likes of Virgil van Dijk. “It was obviously a big test for me, the highest level I have played at in terms of the calibre of defender,” said the former Dundee United forward, who was speaking at a McDonald’s Fun Football event in Grangemouth.

“It was good to go in there and test myself. And overall I thought my performance was decent. You know when you’ve played well and when you’ve not and I came off the pitch thinking if that goal went in it would probably have been the perfect night for me in terms of performance. There were plenty of positives for me to take from it.

“I think that’s why I was playing, to see if I could do the job I needed to do for the team. I hadn’t really had that opportunity before and it was a chance for me to show I can do it. I thought I did my shift really well. There were positives for me.”

When asked if he had received feedback from head coach Steve Clarke ahead of the final camp before the Euro 2024 squad is whittled down, Shankland said: “All he said was go and do well at your clubs and give him a decision to make when it comes to the squad.

“I think that’s always been his approach and that’s the approach of the players as well. In terms of speaking to us he doesn’t really need to, he’s the national team manager and that’s it.”

Lawrence Shankland was celebrating the launch of this year’s McDonald’s Fun Football programme, available to all children aged 5-11 across Scotland. Sign up now for your nearest free session at mcdonalds.co.uk/football.