George Hirst lands Scotland World Cup call-up 45 minutes early
George Hirst was named in Scotland's World Cup squad last week and found out 45 minutes before the rest of the world. The 27-year-old striker said he was ecstatic after getting the call, then had to sit on that news while finishing a round in Portugal.
Portugal Call-Up For Hirst
Hirst said he was golfing with a couple of mates when the message arrived. He had a putt for birdie, then made double bogey after hearing he had made Steve Clarke's squad.
"I was ecstatic," he said. "I found out 45 minutes before the rest of the world did." He added: "I was actually golfing in Portugal with a couple of mates at the time and had a putt for birdie and ended up making double (bogey)."
Clarke's Forward Options
The call-up gives Scotland one of five forwards for a squad returning to the World Cup after a 28-year absence. Che Adams, Lyndon Dykes, Lawrence Shankland and Ross Stewart are the other options Clarke selected.
Hirst has scored once in eight Scotland appearances since making his debut last year, but he said the talks in the March camp left him clear on what the manager wanted. "In the March camp, I had pretty honest conversations with the manager," he said.
Hirst's End-Of-Season Push
He spent the end of the season trying to force his way in with Ipswich, where he scored 11 goals as the club finished second in the Championship and returned to the Premier League. Hirst started 25 league games and came off the bench 17 times, a workload that matched the role he believes he can fill for Scotland.
"I provide a little bit of pace up there," he said. "I've got the height as well." He also said, "I'm going to be there and ready to be called upon whenever that is, whether that's one minute, whether that's 90 minutes, and whoever the gaffer picks is who the gaffer picks."
He has been doing hot pod yoga to get used to the heat, and he said the squad place brought a childhood dream to life. "It was a dream for me when you're a kid, to go to a World Cup and for the manager to give me that opportunity, I'll be forever grateful," he said. The competition for minutes is already built into Scotland's forward group, and Hirst said that is part of the job now.
