Ben Doak Scotland balancing act required as Steve Clarke plans for 15 years rather than 15 months

Maybe it’s a number subconsciously etched on Steve Clarke’s mind after the miserable run of results that’s seen the pressure ramp up on the national manager. Or perhaps he truly believes Ben Doak has the potential to light up Scotland for the next decade and a half.

Whatever the reasons the national manager insists he has to be careful when it comes to managing a young man he says he wants to be dazzling the international stage for the next 15 years - not just 15 months. Clarke is long enough in the tooth to have seen a number of promising young talents burst onto the scene only to burn out just as quickly as they blazed their trail onto the big stage.

Doak certainly never looked out of place when handed his first start for his country away to Croatia on Saturday, giving Josko Gvardiol more than the Manchester City ace could have bargained for with his pace and ball control. But with that defeat in Zagreb taking the painstaking sequence of results to just one measly win in the last 15 games Clarke knows he has a job to protect the precocious young Liverpool talent who is currently on loan at Middlesbrough.

No matter how exciting he might be. Of his 17 senior professional appearances for Celtic, Liverpool and Boro, the 18-year-old has yet to play a full 90 minutes. And Clarke insists there’s a balancing act to be had - even if he would have no qualms about handing Doak another start against Cristiano Ronaldo and Co on Tuesday night.

Half smiling he said: “No that would make me ageist.” But Clarke continued with a note of caution: “Physically he’s ready, yeah, for sure. It's just whether I choose to start him or not, that will be my choice.

"You've always got the balancing act. We know Ben is a talent. We want him here for