Queens Park Rangers forward Lyndon Dykes will miss Scotland’s Euro 2024 after suffering an injury in training.
Steve Clarke’s provisional squad currently consists of 27 players, with 26 shortlisted to travel to Germany.
Che Adams and Lawrence Shankland remain as the only centre-forwards, with uncapped teenager Ben Doak having been deployed in that role at Under-21 level.
If the manager decides to call up a replacement for Dykes, what options does Clarke have?
Tommy Conway
The Scotland Under-21 international has made 43 appearances for Bristol City this season, scoring 12 goals.
By comparison, Dykes has only scored seven times in 49 games for QPR.
Conway lacks experience at senior international level but has scored in his last two games for the 21-man side.
Whether that’s this summer or not, the Taunton-born forward is likely to feature for Scotland at some point.
Ryan Fraser
Selection of the winger, who was on loan at Southampton from Newcastle United this season, would not be an equal replacement for target man Dykes.
But Fraser is familiar with the Scotland squad and three of his four international goals have come for Clarke’s side.
He has eight goals and three assists for the Saints this season, but the last of his 26 caps comes in 2022.
Ryan Hardy
A more natural replacement for Dykes as a central striker, the Plymouth Argyle man has scored 13 goals in recent seasons.
But the most recent one occurred in late February.
The 27-year-old, who has never been called up to the squad before, is accustomed to playing with two at the front and could be a useful complement to Adams and Shankland.
Ross Stewart
It has been a tough few seasons for the former Ross County No.9, who has the same strength and presence as Dykes.
Stewart scored 11 goals in 17 appearances for Sunderland but his 2022-23 season is over with an Achilles injury.
He moved to recently relegated Southampton at the end of the season but a hamstring injury has limited him to just four appearances off the bench and he is still waiting for his first goal for the club.
His goalscoring record has been solid overall and he also made two appearances as Southampton won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs in May.
Clarke called up Stewart to the national team twice in 2022, playing as a substitute.
Kevin Nisbett
They have been plagued by injuries this season, with some players only managing to play 22 minutes a game since the end of January.
The former Hibernian striker struggled in his debut season at Millwall, scoring just five goals.
The 27-year-old missed nearly three months with a hamstring injury but returned for the final few games before being removed on the final day for “disciplinary reasons”.
He has one goal in 11 international appearances and was a substitute in all three games at the last Euros.
