Narrative changes on Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland

Bemusement at Lawrence Shankland's absence from Scotland's starting line-up on Sunday evening emphasised changing perceptions of the Hearts striker. He was left out of the national squad altogether last month and this month with barely an eyelid batted. Now there is growing clamour for Steve Clarke not only to play him, but to take him to Euro 2024.

Last Thursday's equaliser in Georgia seemed to instantly alter many people's view of the 28-year-old, and particularly his role at international level. In September, Clarke left Shankland out of Scotland's matchday squad in Cyprus and the player was an unused substitute against England a few days later. The following month he did not make the squad at all for away matches in Spain and France.

He was not initially called up this month, either. Che Adams' withdrawal through injury created an opportunity Shankland seized as the late replacement. He appeared as an 87th-minute substitute in Tbilisi, one stoppage-time header later and his natural goalscoring instinct suddenly seemed to dawn on doubters. 'Get him on the plane,' became a common shout with Adams and Scotland's other regular starter, Lyndon Dykes, lacking goals this season. Shankland is undoubtedly the country's in-form striker.

Hearts fans, of course, need no reminding of their captain's worth. They know he is a predatory finisher whose ability to bulge netting saw him break records in his first year at Tynecastle Park. This is his second season and he is again banging them in, with 10 goals in 19 club appearances to date. Scoring on the international stage in such a dramatic fashion carries more significance.

Shankland's header against Georgia was his second goal in six caps. He earned a seventh as a late sub again on Sunday against Norway. That Jacob Brown made Scotland's starting line-up ahead of him irked Shankland's growing army of admirers following the successful rescue mission in Tbilisi. Maybe Clarke had already decided the Hearts player will be in Germany and needed a look at someone else. Who knows?

What is certain is that Shankland is now held in new heights of esteem by many Tartan Army members. The international break was extremely productive for him, regardless of restricted game time. "Shanks wasn't originally called up, then he makes the squad, gets two caps and scores a goal. I think the narrative has changed for him from a month ago," acknowledged Steven Naismith, the Hearts head coach, in an exclusive Edinburgh News interview.

"When he missed out on the squad last month, people weren't clamouring or showing a real interest in whether he should or shouldn't be in the squad. Now the debate has been: 'Should Shanks be in the Euros squad?' Obviously there is a long way to go but this has been really positive for him."

Hearts also saw their goalkeeper, Zander Clark, play every minute of the Georgia and Norway matches to finish off the European Championship qualifying campaign. His Scotland debut only came last month and he was grateful for two competitive caps.

"Shanks and Zander came back fine and it was a good camp for both of them," reported Naismith. "Zander won his debut cap last month but there was still that uncertainty of who was going to play in goal in these competitive games. Him getting the nod has been good for him. They are part of a successful Scotland group - the most successful one in nearly 30 years. It's been a positive international camp for a lot of our players."

Another of whom is Aidan Denholm. The young midfielder was also called up late to the Scotland Under-21 squad found himself playing 70 minutes as a substitute right wing-back in their 2-0 win in Belgium. "Fortunately for him, at our training in the last six to eight weeks, he has played there. He is someone who is receptive and wants to learn and understand," said Naismith.

"Now, the first conversation we can have with him when he comes back is: 'All that hard work and time you put in playing in these different positions has had a value because you've made your Scotland Under-21 debut at right wing-back. That's because you have obviously shown enough to prove you can play that position.'

"It's not short-term gains. This just builds a layer onto their experience and character. That's what we need to do but it's a positive for us having so many players involved with their countries. Kenneth Vargas has jumped from Costa Rica Under-23s into the full national team. Again, probably his form and what he has done since he came to the club is why he gets that jump. Calem Nieuwenhof has been in Australia's Under-23s. For all these guys, who we think have high potential, representing your country is a good way to gain more experience."

Nine Hearts players in total left Riccarton on international business nearly two weeks ago. For Naismith, the more the merrier. "As a club, we are at the very early stages of a project to improve every area. That's not just on the field," he explained. "Results and performances are at the forefront but, in the background, we need to develop players. We need to produce our own players and we work really hard at that.

"To see nine or 10 of our players going away every time there is an international camp is a positive for us. They go away, they get better experience, play with different players and work with different coaches. Personally, I think that gives you a lot of progression in your career."