Andrew Robertson, Scott McTominay, Ryan Fraser out of Scotland squad

"It's not like they wanted to be pulled out, it's been taken out of their hands. They are genuinely injured," says Scotland assistant manager Alex Dyer

Tuesday 12 November 2019 21:01, UK

Scotland assistant manager Alex Dyer has defended Andrew Robertson, Scott McTominay and Ryan Fraser after the trio pulled out of the squad ahead of the upcoming European Qualifiers against Cyprus and Kazakhstan.

They join Liam Cooper on the sidelines for the matches in Nicosia on Saturday and Glasgow on Tuesday.

Scotland captain Robertson played the full 90 minutes in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Manchester City on Sunday while Fraser also completed the match as Bournemouth lost 2-1 at Newcastle. Robertson will stay with the squad for a few days in a leadership role.

McTominay injured his ankle in Manchester United's 3-1 win over Brighton on Sunday and was substituted shortly before the end of the game at Old Trafford.

Dyer has confirmed that the trio are "genuinely injured" ahead of the double-header, despite some claims that they have prioritised their club football with Scotland now unable to qualify from Group I.

"It's not like they wanted to be pulled out, it's been taken out of their hands," he said.

"It is definitely not a dead rubber. You are representing your country which is the main thing.

"No matter who you play you are representing your country and you should be proud.

"The second thing is they are genuinely injured, you can't do nothing about that.

"We just have to concentrate on the ones who are here. It is part of football.

"We put a squad together. There is still another round of fixtures and we know we will get some withdrawals, that's the way it is. We just have to adapt."

Graeme Shinnie, and Lewis Morgan have been called up as replacements by Scotland boss Steve Clarke. Hibernian defender Ryan Porteous has also been called up to the squad for the first time, having previously featured for the U21s.

Cooper withdrew from the squad on Monday after he was injured in Leeds' Sky Bet Championship win over Blackburn on Saturday.

The Leeds captain was substituted after 72 minutes with scans showing a small tear in his groin area.

Scotland are already missing Kieran Tierney after Arsenal requested for him to be left out of the squad.

After playing Cyprus Clarke's team host Kazakhstan on Tuesday - both games live on Sky Sports Football - as they look to end Euro 2020 qualifying on a high.

Scotland cannot qualify from Group I but can progress to their first major tournament since 1998 via the Nations League play-offs, which take place in March 2020.