Fulham’s Cairney backed for Scotland recall

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Fulham boss Scott Parker believes Tom Cairney can force his way into Scotland’s European Championships squad.

His appearances for the land of his father started well enough three years ago – and then spluttered to a stop.


After six outings for Scotland Under-21s, Cairney’s only two full caps came in a 1-1 draw with Canada in 2017 and an ignominious 1-0 home defeat by Costa Rica in March 2018.

However, that was when Fulham were in the Championship.

Now, they’re back in the Premier League, and with Cairney playing well, Parker believes his captain’s chances of adding to his caps has been enhanced.

“An extra incentive? I think so,” Parker said.

“It’s not something so far he’s been involved in. At the forefront of his mind will be Fulham, and what he can bring to the Premier League, and so far, he’s done that very, very well.

“Tom’s taken on exactly what we’ve asked of him. But like any ambitious player, if he can play well enough for us, he can push his way into the Scotland squad as well.”

Scotland will play in their first major tournament for 22 years because Cairney’s Fulham team-mate Aleksandar Mitrovic missed a vital shoot-out penalty for Serbia in last week’s Nations League qualifier.