Clarke has faith in out-of-favour Scots talisman

BOSS BACKS HIS SIDELINED STARS

- BY BLAIR ESSON

Robertson and Gannon-Doak are currently not first-choice picks at club level

ANDY ROBERTSON and Ben Gannon-Doak find themselves down the pecking order at club level - but when it comes to Scotland duty the pair remain stick-ons for Steve Clarke.

National captain Robertson appears to be being phased out at Liverpool, even though his left-back replacement has convinced few observers that he is an upgrade.

Manager Arne Slot also called time on the Anfield career of winger Gannon-Doak - Clarke's teenage talisman - but he is currently restricted to the odd cameo role off the bench at Bournemouth.

The Scotland boss would have been fooling no-one yesterday if he had claimed not to be in the slightest bit concerned by the potential consequences of Slot’s axe-wielding.

He was certainly concerned enough to hold a heart-to-heart with Robertson last week - a followup to an initial conversation which began in the summer, when it became obvious that new recruit Milos Kerkez was being fitted up for his starting shirt.