Lawrence Shankland insists he doesn’t feel like he’s certain to start against Haiti despite being in the form of his life going into the World Cup.
The forward headed the opener in Scotland’s four-goal hammering of Bolivia in New Jersey on Saturday to go with the double he hit the previous week against Curacao at Hampden.
The 30-year-old’s understanding with Che Adams was also pivotal in the Torino man scoring twice against the South Americans with Scott McTominay also on the scoresheet.
With Steve Clarke’s men clicking into top gear on the eve of the first World Cup appearance since 1998, the consensus is that the side which began against Bolivia will largely be trusted to go again when the curtain comes up in Boston.
Adamant that he doesn’t feel like his name is already on the team-sheet, though, Shankland said: ‘You never assume anything in football. What you can do, when you get the opportunity to go on the pitch, is put your best foot forward and I’ve always said that.
Lawrence Shankland celebrates scoring against Bolivia on Saturday night
‘Every time you go away with Scotland all the boys feel the same. You do your best and you try and get into the manager’s head when he needs to make a decision. That’s all you can do.
‘I’ve always approached it like that and these friendlies have been good for me. I’ve managed to get a few goals and my performances have been decent as well. I’ve been happy with that.
‘In terms of what I can control, yes, I’m pleased with the case I can put forward. But I’ll never, ever think I’m certain to play.
‘You look at the quality so you can never be presumptuous like that. No matter what role you’re asked to play as a striker, everyone feels the same and we have a brilliant squad. Whichever role I’m asked to play, I’ll be ready to play it.’
Clarke seems certain to play two strikers against the Group C outsiders with the formation yielding eight goals across the two build-up matches.
If selected, Shankland feels having a strike partner is likely to get the best out of him.
Asked if he felt more comfortable in a two, he said: ‘At times, yes. It just depends on who you pair me with.
‘I think Che and I work well. He likes to play on the shoulder, but he can also drop in.
‘But it’s more about the team. We have Doakey on the wing (Ben Gannon-Doak) and (Ryan) Christie who comes in the pitch. You can cause defences problems just with positioning and I like to pick up little spots off the defence the same as Christie. So, it brings a different dimension. But we’re working on it. We’ve had longer in this camp to work on it and it’s been good.’
Shankland heads home Scotland’s opening goal against Bolivia
Brimming with confidence after scoring again at the weekend, at this moment, Shankland believes he’s going to find the net each time he steps on the park.
‘As a striker you always want to be in that place,’ he said. ‘You want to get yourself into scoring positions.
‘I should have had two on Saturday. I should have scored a second goal as it was probably an easier chance than the one that did go in.
‘But that’s football and that’s the life of a striker. You have to be in there and be prepared to miss. The more you miss, the more you’ll score. I’ve always believed that and always been like that.
‘Given the quality in the team, and the standard of players, you know the chances are coming because of the service.’
Shankland’s performance was just one of many eye-catching ones as Scotland finalised their preparations with an emphatic display.
‘There was a lot to be pleased about,’ he said. ‘It was a good performance and given it was a 4-0 win, we have to be happy with that.
‘I felt we were good on the defensive side of the game and it was good to get used to the temperatures.
‘When it comes to the pace of the game, you need to dictate that with the way you defend and I thought a lot of it was really good.
‘On the other side, we showed our quality at the top end of the pitch with four good goals. It was a good win so ideal preparation.’
A little over three weeks again, Shankland was part of a Hearts side that was within touching distance of the title until Celtic scored late at Parkhead to deny them.
He then had to interrupt a family holiday to complete a move to boyhood heroes Rangers before joining the Scotland camp as it prepared for the World Cup.
Adams and Shankland combined to good effect and could be Scotland’s strike pairing to face Haiti
Reflecting on an extraordinary period in his life, the 30-year-old said: ‘There’s been a lot of ups and downs in the last couple of weeks. It’s been a bit mad.
‘But as footballers, we deal with disappointments and we move quickly. You deal with good times, you move quickly because they don’t always last.
‘I’ll always remain level-headed with where I’m at. I’m excited for the tournament to start and I’m in a good place. Form wise, coming off the season, I feel good and I’m just looking forward to these games starting.’
Asked if he felt different now he was a Rangers player, Shankland said: ‘In all honesty, no. I’ve not actually had too much time to think about it.. I came here off the back of a good season. I was in good form.
‘And right now I’m only concentrating on being a Scotland player, if I’m honest. I’m enjoying being here and really looking forward to the tournament.’
