Scotland heartache 'never leaves' McGinn

John McGinn admits he has not "parked" nan disappointment of Scotland's Euro 2024 exit arsenic he prepares for a return to world duty.

Steve Clarke's broadside big Poland successful Thursday's Nations League A Group 1 opener past recreation to look Portugal connected Sunday (both games 19:45).

The Scots took 1 constituent from a imaginable 9 successful Germany, pinch a dense conclusion by nan hosts and a precocious nonaccomplishment to Hungary sandwiching a battling tie pinch Switzerland.

"You decidedly don't parkland them," nan 29-year-old McGinn said. "I still deliberation astir getting relegated astatine St Mirren. What I could person changed? What you could do amended - these things ne'er time off you.

"Everyone ever says nan highs successful shot make nan lows worthy it, but that’s a lie, truthful it’ll ever beryllium successful nan backmost of your caput things you could person done otherwise some together arsenic a squad and individually.

"We've travel a agelong measurement arsenic a federation to suffice for these tournaments. We didn't want that to conscionable beryllium enough, we each cognize we could person done amended successful nan summer, but now there's a caller batch of players coming in, a benignant of different consciousness pinch nan squad, and hopefully it'll re-energise each of america individually and hopefully everyone successful nan state arsenic well."

Finishing successful nan apical 2 of their group would nonstop Scotland done to nan quarter-finals. Third spot would consequence successful a relegation play-off while bottommost spot confirms relegation to League B.

And nan run could yet power nan Scots' hopes of qualifying for nan 2026 World Cup, which would beryllium their first since 1998.

"We've sewage a mates of years now to effort to get to a World Cup," McGinn said.

"We've not achieved that successful a agelong time. This group's managed to execute things and break nan shape of not qualifying for tournaments. We've evidently not built connected that.

"Thursday, it's astir america getting connected nan beforehand foot, embracing being successful nan apical section successful nan Nations League, which is simply a first for us. We'll astir apt person a batch much group to beryllium wrong.

"We're each down nan head and he surely seems quiet and fresh to spell again and hopefully we tin do what no-one's managed to do for a agelong clip and get to different awesome tournament."

Assistant caput coach John Carver believes failing to go nan first Scotland broadside to scope a group shape has to motivate nan team.

"We each took criticism," he said. "There was a immense magnitude of disappointment.

"We had a chance to create history and we didn't. That's sewage to beryllium a thrust and nan information to spell again.

"It's a caller commencement coming because there's a caller title starting. Our purpose is to past successful nan group, that's what we person to do. Yeah, you want to triumph aliases travel second. Our privilege will beryllium - tin we enactment successful nan group?"

Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Ryan Gauld was included successful Clarke's squad for nan opening double header on pinch Sturm Graz right-back Max Johnston and Liverpool winger Ben Doak.

"We've sewage nan mentation for nan World Cup because nan mentation for maine now starts, which is why there'll beryllium a fewer caller faces successful there, which is important," Carver explained.

"We've looked astatine each portion of nan world, portion of nan globe to spot which players could travel successful to return america forward.

"Scotland were successful nan doldrums 23 years agone and now we're we've qualified for 2 back-to-back Euros, we've qualified and sewage into nan Nations League Group A.

"There's still a immense spread to close. We'll effort arsenic agelong arsenic we tin to support improving that and make progress."