Steve Clarke has revealed why he snubbed Hearts' standouts for the Scotland squad for the coming World Cup warm-up games.
The head coach picked a squad of 26 for matches against Japan and Ivory Coast at the end of March.
There were some significant changes to recent announcements with Kilmarnock wide player Findlay Curtis receiving his first call-up. There were also five returns to the squad, including goalkeeper Angus Gunn who had missed recent ties.
Interestingly, however, Clarke opted not to include the likes of Craig Halkett and Harry Milne despite the defenders impressing in the Scottish Premiership this season with his club sailing high at the top of the division.
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Scotland head coach Steve Clarke on his squad for World Cup warm-up games against Japan & Ivory Coast ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/Fn9OUMHwLk— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 16, 2026
For Clarke he believes the Jambos are "better than the sum of their parts" and that their outstanding showing this campaign so far has been down to their squad as a whole, as well as manager Derek McInnes.
So when asked if Hearts players can feel aggrieved at missing out, the boss answered honestly. "Certainly when you look at their team performances, it's good," Clarke said as he also spoke on fourth-placed Motherwell's players.
"What I will say is I really think both those teams have been exceptional this year, have done really well. But maybe the team is better than the sum of the parts, which is a credit to the coaching staff and managers on both sides, both teams.
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"I think they've done really well. But I'm looking at everybody."
If it wasn't for injury, Hearts would likely have had Lawrence Shankland and Craig Gordon in the squad.
Both will in contention for the World Cup when it gets underway this summer, should he pass fit.
Stuart Findlay, meanwhile, is due to make his comeback in early April while Halkett - who has never been capped as a full international - will hope to be involved at some stage.
