Could Bruce Anderson be in line for a Scotland call-up?

After five months without it, international football is set to return in a few weeks. 

Scotland were set to play Ukraine in a World Cup play-off semi final on the 24th of March however needless to say, that match has been postponed as a result of the ongoing immoral Russian invasion of the country. 

Due to this, if reports are to be believed, Steve Clarke’s side will now take on Poland in a friendly followed by yet another friendly against the losers of the Wales v Austria World Cup play-off semi final, the match of whom Scotland or Ukraine will play the winners for a place in the 2022 Qatar World Cup come June. 

Because the two matches Scotland will play in March are practically meaningless, at least in terms of consequences of the result, it may be a good chance for Steve Clarke to offer chances to some players who have previously been on the fringes of his squad. 

One such player who could be given an opportunity is Livingston striker Bruce Anderson. 

Anderson joined the West Lothian club on a free transfer from Aberdeen where he made 39 appearances for the first team, scoring 3 goals and assisting 1. Whilst under contract with the Dons, Anderson also enjoyed several loan spells at Elgin City, Dunfermline Athletic and Ayr United. He made a combined 40 appearances for the trio of clubs, netting 9 goals and setting up 5. 

For a vastly impressive Livingston side who are continuing to climb up the table, the striker has scored more goals than he’s scored for any other club, bagging 13. He’s also disposed his creative abilities at the Tony Macaroni, assisting 5 times in his 37 Livi appearances. 

11 of the striker’s 13 goals this season have come in the league which makes him the joint second-top scorer in the division. He’s also averaged a goal contribution every 105 minutes in the Scottish Premiership this campaign as he even won the Player of the Month award in the league for February which surely helped his stock to rise even further. In addition, Anderson tops his club’s charts for both goals and assists, making him one of their most valuable assets

Bruce Anderson’s credentials in relation to a Scotland call up are as clear as day but who might the twenty three year old replace in Steve Clarke’s setup?

Well, striker Kevin Nisbet is set to face around 7-9 months on the sidelines after undergoing knee surgery. The Hibernian striker first received a Scotland call up in March 2021 and has been included every squad since. Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether or not Newcastle man Ryan Fraser will even be in contention for the upcoming internationals after he dropped out of the most recent camp midway through. 

It appears there may be a potential berth opening up for Bruce Anderson in the Scotland squad although that doesn’t mean he will be short of challengers. He faces stern competition from the likes of Ross Stewart, Ryan Hardie and Lewis Morgan. The two former have been catching the eye in English League One of late. Former Ross County striker Stewart is the league’s top scorer with 22 and Rangers academy product Hardie is not far behind, netting 14 times and assisting 4 in 31 games meanwhile Lewis Morgan has enjoyed a storming start to the MLS season with his new side, New York Bulls, scoring thrice and assisting once in his maiden three appearances for the club. The ex-Celtic and St. Mirren attacker also won player of the week in the MLS for the second game week of the season after his hat-trick against Toronto. 

Back to Bruce and he certainly offers a different dynamic to the likes of Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams in the Scotland attacking arsenal. He is a fox in the box who could assuredly make an impact, whether it be from the start or coming on as a substitute. Steve Clarke has been no stranger to introducing on-form players into his squad in the past and should Anderson receive the call, he will be the first Livingston player to do so since Liam Kelly back in 2019.