STEVE Clarke has expressed confidence his players will be able to put any difficulties they are experiencing at club level firmly behind them and help Scotland record a win over Moldova on Friday week that secures a Qatar 2022 play-off place.

Billy Gilmour, Nathan Patterson and Kieran Tierney, who are all automatic starters for the national team, have not been playing regularly for Norwich City, Rangers and Arsenal respectively since the last international break.

Midfielder Gilmour and right back Patterson have not been getting selected while left back Tierney has been sidelined with an ankle injury.

Elsewhere, John McGinn of Aston Villa and Scott McTominay of Manchester United have been criticised for their performances as the Villa Park and Old Trafford clubs have struggled. 

However, Clarke, whose team is on a four game winning run, believes the quintet will relish joining up with the Scotland squad and will be able to perform to their usual high standard against Moldova and Denmark regardless of their domestic concerns.  

“They’re coming for two massive games for us in the context of qualifying for another major tournament,” he said. “So I’m pretty sure they’ll be able to leave their club heads behind and put on their international heads – and get us the results we need.

“They enjoy coming here anyway. It can be the case that if you’re away from your club, and your club’s been struggling a bit, you get a little bit of relief from that pressure.

“There’s one or two maybe who have had better times. Hopefully we can get them here and get a smile back on their face and they’ll go out and produce for us. That’s the most important thing for me. It is a good place for them to come and be together. There’s a good atmosphere within the camp.”

Clarke, who will be without Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes for the Moldova match in Chisinau due to the pair being suspended, conceded that several of his key men have been going through difficult spells.

However, he was buoyed by the impressive display that McTominay, who has played at centre back and in central midfield for his adopted homeland, produced for United in their 3-0 triumph over Spurs in London on Saturday. 

He also has no concerns about the mindset of attacking midfielder McGinn, who has netted four times in eight Group F matches, despite Villa losing their last four Premier League outings.

Clarke said: “I’ll probably just show Scott a re-run of the Man United v Tottenham game, when he was the best player on the pitch, and say: ‘There you go’. That’s all he needs to worry about, his performances on the pitch. And his performances have been good.

“When your club is struggling, especially a club the size of Man United, everybody is going to get it, from the manager all the way down. Scott’s big enough to be able to handle it himself.

“It’s the same with John McGinn at Aston Villa. They’re not in a very good run at the minute. But John’s big enough to handle that, to take any flak that comes his way and get on with it.”

Clarke is hopeful that Tierney, who has been outstanding playing on the left side of a back three for Scotland, will be fit to face Moldova even though he has not been involved in Arsenal’s last three matches.

“I think Kieran will be on the plane and if he’s on the plane he’ll be fit,” he said. “That’s my opinion. Look, obviously you have to respect the club. And the club are telling us he’s working his way back to fitness.

“They are hopeful he could be involved this weekend. But, if he gets a few days training in then fine. We don’t play until a week on Friday, so he’s got time on his side. I expect that Kieran will be fit.

“This group of players want to be here, they want to represent their country, they want to do well, they want to be together. And long may that continue.”

Gilmour moved from Chelsea to Norwich in the summer in order to get game time. But he has been left on the bench at Carrow Road by Daniel Farke and there has been speculation he will be recalled to Stamford Bridge by Thomas Tuchel in January. 

Patterson has only made one substitutes’ appearance for Rangers – he came on for the final four minutes of the cinch Premiership match against St Mirren in Paisley - since coming on and setting up Dykes for a late winner against the Faroe Islands in Torshavn last month.  

“I think the two young ones, they just want to play football,” said Clarke. “They just want to play as often as possible. So if they’re coming away with us they know they’re going to get game time, they’re going to be excited. No matter what’s going on at their clubs.

“Obviously, when they’re at their clubs, they still have work hard in training. They still have to try and impress the manager, they still have to do as well as they can when they do get minutes on the pitch. So far it doesn’t seem to have affected their performances for Scotland, so long may that continue.

 “At the moment it’s not so bad. Billy hasn’t played since the last two Scotland games. But that’s only three weeks ago. It’s not as if it’s a massive gap.

“If you were going from the December camp to the March camp and they weren’t playing, then suddenly you’re looking at December, January, February they’re not playing – that’s a different story. But it’s something hopefully we don’t have to deal with.”

Asked about Gilmour’s situation at Norwich, Clarke said: “I don’t get involved. That’s club business. When Billy comes away with us he trains great, he’s one of the players I’ve always got to chase off the training pitch and get him inside to rest his legs. The club situation will resolve itself and Billy will be part of that resolution.”