Scotland boss Steve Clarke explains reasons behind 'big game player' Ross Stewart's late World Cup inclusion

Steve Clarke says it was a no-brainer to hand Southampton star Ross Stewart his first international call-up in four years.

The 29-year-old hasn't featured on the international stage for Scotland since 2022, but has been including in Clarke's 26-man squad for next month's showpiece World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

It was always expected that the Tartan Army boss would take five strikers with him on the plane across the Atlantic, with Stewart and Hull City ace Oli McBurnie the two candidates vying for the berth.

However, despite McBurnie netting 17 times for the Tigers en-route to the Championship play-off final, it's his Stewart who has instead got the nod.

"Listen, I think it's a good story with Ross (Stewart)," Clarke told Sky Sports at his press conference on Tuesday.

"He was in the squad a few years ago, was good in and around the squad too, and showed he deserved to be here, but he's had a terrible period of injuries.

But this season, especially during the second half of the season, he has hit a rich vein of form and has shown he can score big goals in big games - I reference the Arsenal game in the FA Cup in that.

- Steve Clarke (Scotland Manager - Sky Sports)

"He's shown he can have an impact against sides of that level, and the World Cup will be a very high level as well.

"He's also proven that he can score from the bench and he's a player who is bang in form so I decided to add him to the group because of those reasons."

Clarke has previously gone on record to suggest that he wouldn't be inclined to make too many alterations to the Scotland group that famously secured qualification through to FIFA's showpiece last November.

However, Tommy Conway's absence through injury opened the door for an additional striker to make the cut and whilst McBurnie's goalscoring record will have caught Clarke's attention, he says that Stewart's impressive end to the season and previous positive involvement in the group ultimately earned him the call-up.

"Ross has been in the group before so the vast majority of the lads will know him - he fitted in really well a few years ago, and I put huge importance on that," the 62-year-old added.

"The players have to be good characters, they have to have the right mentality - it's a prerequisite for me really.

"When you are going to be away for, hopefully, four or five weeks, you need good relationships between all the players - it's very important that you have that and I've no doubts whatsoever that he will fit right in."