Scotland could cut FIVE stars for Euro 2024 but 'brutal' reality isn't weighing on Steve Clarke yet

Steve Clarke named a 25-man Scotland squad – then admitted as many as five of them may face the chop from this summer’s Euros.

The national boss accepts it’s likely to become a 'brutal business' as he whistles down the numbers before taking just 23 of them to the tournament training base in the idyllic Alpine town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in June. Celtic skipper Callum McGregor and Rangers rival Ryan Jack are still to be added to the list of contenders having been ruled out of the up and coming friendly double header against Netherlands and Northern Ireland.

Brentford full-back Aaron Hickey is another of Clarke’s regular picks fighting his way back from injury with a return scheduled for early to mid April. And the national boss will also have to ditch one of the four goalkeepers who made Tuesday's cut - with veteran Craig Gordon now joining Zander Clark and Liam Kelly in the fight to be back-up to No.1 Angus Gunn.

Asked how many crunch decisions he’ll have to make before naming the travelling party to Bavaria, Clarke said: “Probably four, going through every area of the pitch. Maybe five. It’s going to be dependent upon fitness. You can’t see into the future so you don’t know what’s going to happen. You might lose somebody you don’t want to lose although hopefully that’s not the case. But, at the moment, I’m probably looking at disappointing four or five players.

“It’s going to be a big decision. It’s going to have a big impact on some of these young lads’ lives. But I’ve lived it - I’ve been there - and I understand it. I’ll be sorry for them but football can be quite a brutal business at times. Maybe they don’t make it but they make the next tournament and it would be nice to think we could be at the next tournament