John McGinn's Bavarian dance had Scotland fearing the worst but Euro 2024 injury gods finally have some mercy

John Carver has revealed how Scotland’s injury curse has hit the camp so hard he feared star man John McGinn might rip a hamstring doing a Bavarian dance routine at Sunday’s civic reception, writes Keith Jackson in Germany.

Carver spoke on Monday after helping Steve Clarke and his players get down to business here in Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the first day at their base camp for the Euros. Skipper Andy Robertson and striker Lawrence Shankland both left the training session early sparking fears that the run of wretched luck - which has already ruled out Aaron Hickey, Nathan Patterson and Lyndon Dykes - had struck again.

Both players were taken to the treatment room as a precaution and are expected to be back on the grass today as preparations gear up for Friday night’s Group A opener against Germany in Munich. But Carver admits the mounting misfortune has left the entire squad on tenterhooks to the extent that McGinn’s crowd pleasing introduction to the locals had the coaching staff fearing the worst.

The Geordie said: “It was good that he joined in with the people and the culture. I couldn’t have done that - especially when they went down to the squat! If I had done that I wouldn’t have been getting up again. I was standing behind him just in case he got injured and thinking, ‘John! No! No! No!’.

“But it was good because he embraced the whole situation. It was very important that we did that because, let’s face it, we are coming into the towns and we need for the hosts to see that we are going to appreciate everything they put on for us and do for us.”

And it was panic stations again briefly on Monday morning when first Robertson and then Shankland were added to the casualty list. A relieved Carver confirmed later that