Ben Doak could be DROPPED for crucial Scotland clash with Poland as Steve Clarke reveals brutal reality

Steve Clarke dropped a bombshell in Warsaw when he admitted he could drop Ben Doak for Scotland’s must win match with Poland.

The national boss admitted during a pre-match media conference at the National Stadium that Doak is not certain to keep hold of his starting place may just three days after the youngster’s man of the match display in Friday night’s 1-0 win over Croatia. Clarke insisted he is not concerned about a potential backlash should he choose to keep Doak on his bench.

And he repeated a warning that the country should not pin its hopes on a kid who has only just turned 19-years-old. Clarke showed signs of becoming fatigued with the recent outbreak of Doak-mania when he was asked about the Liverpool winger for the first time. He said: “First of all, congratulations on asking a few questions before we actually get round to talking about Ben! I appreciate that.

“He’s obviously feeling good about himself but he’s in among good people and we’ll keep his feet on the ground. He’s a big talent for now and a big talent for the future.”

And, later, when asked if two games in such a short space of time might be too much for the youngster he responded: “That’s why - as I sit here now - I haven’t named the team.

“All the boys who finished the game the other night, you have to take a look and make sure they wake up tomorrow morning fit, fresh and ready to go. That’s something else you have to think about.”

And when it was pointed out that he would disappoint a huge percentage of the Tartan Army if he chose to take Doak out of the firing line he answered: “Yeah, there would be. But that’s my job.”

Clarke, though, knows that he has a potential game changer on his hands with a player currently on loan at Middlesbrough.