Scotland suffer crushing Euro 2024 blow as key man ruled out through injury

Steve Clarke had already been forced to select a squad that was missing the trio of Nathan Patterson, Aaron Hickey and Lewis Ferguson.

A fourth player will now miss the trip to Germany later this month after Dykes suffered a leg injury in training earlier this week.

The Queens Park Rangers forward was seen being stretchered away after sustaining the issue on Friday, immediately leading to doubts over his participation.

In a post on X, Scotland have confirmed the development, acknowledging that the group are "gutted" for the 28-year-old.

Dykes absence major setback for Tartan Army

Having scored just six times in 41 Championship appearances for QPR during 2023-24, Dykes has hardly had one of the most prolific seasons of his career.

However, his importance for his country is greater than for his club after chipping in with nine goals and four assists from his 36 appearances on the international stage.

Although he did not enjoy the greatest time during the European qualifiers, his late goal and assist in a 2-1 victory in Norway proved pivotal in the race for a top-two spot.

Dykes was far from a certain starter, though, with just three such outings coming in seven matches, also remaining an unused substitute on two occasions.

Nevertheless, he was in contention to get the nod over Che Adams for the nation's fixture against Germany on June 14.

How will Clarke react?

With the squad still possessing one more player than will be allowed, it is plausible that Clarke will not call up another attacker in his place.

On the flip side, Clarke now has just four recognised attackers at his disposal, one of whom is Ben Doak who has barely got any football under his belt for Liverpool this season.

Luton Town's Jacob Brown and Millwall's Kevin Nisbet are the two obvious alternatives to Dykes if Clarke opts for an outside option.

Brown has been sidelined since February with a knee injury but may recover in time to come into contention, while Nisbet scored five times in 27 games for Millwall in the Championship.