MX23RW : Wednesday, March 12 06:53:42| >> :120:67349:67349:

Scotland manager Alex McLeish keeping an eye on Che Adams

Scotland manager Alex McLeish keeping an eye on Che Adams
© Reuters
Adams has scored 19 goals this season.

Scotland boss Alex McLeish has said Birmingham forward Che Adams is on his radar as he prepares for the start of the 2020 European Championship qualifiers.

The 22-year-old, born in Leicester, was capped by England at under-20 level four years ago but qualifies for Scotland through the grandparent rule.

Adams has caught the eye this season after scoring 19 goals for the Blues in the English Championship.

McLeish, whose side begin their qualifying campaign with an away double-header against Kazakhstan and San Marino in March, said: "We have looked at Che. We are a small nation, we won't leave any stone unturned and Che has been in good form.

"At the moment he wants to keep himself playing at club level, he's had a good season, we have charted his progress, so we will keep that one open.

"We will leave it up to him just now and we will keep monitoring the situation. It was amicable discussions with him and his representative.

"I never spoke to Che personally but we have noticed his form and we think we can enhance his career and it would be up to him now."

In a group that also contains Belgium, Russia and Cyprus, McLeish accepts the Scots have to hit the ground running in the away double-header.

The former Scotland defender said: "It is competition time. We have to get the competition heads on.

"We will put down some pointers for the players in terms of how we go about the campaign.

"We need a strategy and obviously there will be tactics from game to game."

Amid controversy surrounding the standards of officials in Scotland, with reports claiming that the Scottish Football Association is to consider introducing foreign referees to the Premiership, McLeish gave his backing to the whistlers.

He said: "It is the scrutiny, we have social media, there is no hiding place. I feel for the referees, I was always sympathetic even in my day.

"I wasn't trying to get decisions, it was more accepting that we had a job to do and they had a job to do.

"The scrutiny now is absolutely intense. Give these guys a break, get behind them. We have to try to help the referees in our country as much as possible.

"These guys are brought up here, let's encourage them and help them to be better. I say back our boys, that's my stance on it."

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Press Association Sport staff');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'cb1cbd8f-b104-412e-88e8-ed2e929a3080');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'Scotland manager Alex McLeish keeping an eye on Che Adams'});

ID:350914: cacheID:350914:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4871:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers gives orders on December 13, 2018
Read Next:
5 things we learned from the Scottish Premiership this weekend
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool29217169274270
2Arsenal281510352242855
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest28156745331251
4Chelsea28147753361749
5Manchester CityMan City28145953381547
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle2814594738947
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton28121064640646
8Aston Villa2912984145-445
9Bournemouth28128847341344
10Fulham2811984138342
11Crystal Palace2810993633339
12Brentford28115124844438
13Tottenham HotspurSpurs281041455411434
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd2897123440-634
15Everton2871293135-433
16West Ham UnitedWest Ham2896133248-1633
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2865173857-1923
18Ipswich TownIpswich2838172658-3217
19Leicester CityLeicester2845192562-3717
20Southampton2823232068-489


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!