Interim head coach Michael McArdle expects Scotland to have exciting future

Interim head coach Michael McArdle predicted an exciting future for Scotland after naming a much-changed squad for the upcoming Nations League double-header.

McArdle, whose remit at the Scottish Football Association involves working with the women’s youth teams, was appointed to the top role last month while the search continues for a permanent successor to Pedro Martinez Losa, who departed after failing to qualify for Euro 2025.

The Scots begin their Nations League campaign later this month with a trip to Austria before returning to Hampden Park to take on the Netherlands.

Nicola Docherty, Jenna Fife, Emma Mukandi, Kelly Clark, Shannon McGregor, Brogan Hay, Amy Rodgers and Jamie-Lee Napier have made way with Erin Clachers, Leah Eddie, Amy Muir, Emma Lawton, Kirsty Maclean, Eilidh Shore, Freya Gregory, Mia McAulay, Lauren Davidson and Eilidh Adams coming into the squad.

It is first time Shore, Lawton and Adams have been called up to the senior squad with Gregory, who represented England at youth level, recently switching nationality.

Asked if he felt there was a new generation coming through at the level that can return Scotland to major tournaments, McArdle said: “The exciting thing is I don’t just feel it. I’ve been living it for the last two years.

“Our under-17s, under-19s, under-23s, not just the way we work and we play, but also the characters that are there as well, coming through the pathways.

“It’s exciting. The next three, four years will be an exciting moment for us all to see the work that everyone puts in across the game.

“I’ve got real positive feelings about the future. It was a good opportunity just now to reward players for their efforts, they’ve earned the right to be considered.

“And also it’s been really difficult selecting the squad, which is a real positive for us all.

“There’s depth, a talent there, so really just an opportunity to be fresh, try something and take us in the direction that we need to qualify for tournaments. So this is the start of it.

“It’s exciting with the pathway and the talent that’s coming through the pathway just now, but also exciting that our talent ID over the last couple of years is being invested in, and we’ve worked really hard identifying talent that’s not just here domestically.

“So it’s been exciting to look ahead and see that talent coming in that makes that a broader selection process as well.

“Age is irrelevant. It’s form, competition, potential and who’s right at the right time to make sure that we can consistently be the best.”