Scotland add striker Hirst for Nations League ties

Play-off matches between Greece and Scotland in the Nations League

Location: Piraeus’ Karaiskakis Stadium on Thursday, March 20, 2019 19:45 GMT

After receiving clearance to represent his grandfather’s home country, George Hirst has received his first call-up for Scotland for the Nations League play-off against Greece.

Hirst was not included in the initial squad named on Tuesday, according to Ipswich Town’s 26-year-old forward, who previously represented England at the youth level.

Hirst has scored four goals this season for Ipswich, including their second in the 4-2 home defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

In Clarke’s squad are James Wilson, Che Adams, Tommy Conway, Kevin Nisbet, and Kevin Nisbet.

According to Clarke, “George is someone we’ve had in mind for a while.” He recently caught my attention. He is a player who would give that position more depth.

Scotland are tying their first match of League A with a tie against Greece on Thursday at 19:45 GMT, before playing at Hampden on Sunday at 17:00.

Hirst, an England Under-20 international, qualifies for Scotland through his paternal grandfather, and “offers something new” to Scotland already have, according to BBC 5 Live presenter Aaron Paul.

He is “strong, mobile, and intelligent,” Paul told BBC Scotland. He is a thinker, and he has worked extremely hard for his opportunities, he said.

He has the pedigree because he is the son of former Sheffield Wednesday striker David Hirst. The tree is not far away from the apple, either.

Hirst has missed the last two months of this season with a knee injury, as well as missing a significant portion of Ipswich’s promotion campaign.

They have been significant setbacks, Paul continued. They haven’t been minor minor injuries.

He plays in a high-octane side that likes to press hard from the front, but he’s committed. He will use his size because he is a large unit.

What do you think about hiring Hirst as a substitute? Should he play in Greece’s game?