Steve Clarke hopes to see John McGinn reach 100-cap mark for Scotland

Steve Clarke expressed his hope that vice-captain John McGinn can kick on and become a Scotland centurion as the “bubbly” Aston Villa midfielder prepares to earn his 50th cap this weekend.

The 27-year-old is set to again skipper the team in the absence of the injured Andy Robertson in Saturday’s Nations League match at home to Republic of Ireland.

Manager Clarke is a huge fan of the former St Mirren and Hibernian player, who has chipped in with 14 goals for Scotland since making his debut against Denmark in March 2016.

“You’ve just got to look at his contributions, his goalscoring record, his assists,” said Clarke. “He can play different midfield positions and he brings his own bubbly, bright personality into the group.

“He’s a key member of the squad on and off the pitch. I think he enjoys it when I push him a little bit further forward and he’s got the chance to get those goals and make those assists. It works well for us.

“I’m indebted to John for a lot of the good wins we’ve had because he’s managed to get the goals and the assists. Hopefully he can keep it going and get to 100 and get a few more goals and assists along the way.”

Clarke believes McGinn’s growth as an international player epitomises Scotland’s improvement since he took charge in 2019.

Super.John.McGinn.#SCOUKRpic.twitter.com/mNDUrnIa0J

— Scotland National Team (@ScotlandNT) September 21, 2022

“John was in a lot of Scotland squads and he tells me about the time he was asked to run the line in one of the squads because he was surplus to requirements at the time,” the manager said.

“You have to understand there is a process and John accepted that and waited for his chance. That’s what you want.

“When I first came in, John’s age-group of players didn’t