(Photo by LEE SMITH/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Scotland boss Steve Clarke is to demand answers from Newcastle winger Ryan Fraser after he was pictured training with the Magpies first-team after withdrawing from the national team squad to face Moldova and Denmark.
Fraser withdrew from the Scotland squad on Sunday citing a calf injury but was spotted training on Tuesday as new Newcastle manager Eddie Howe took charge of his first session following his appointment.
Fraser in action at Euro 2020 (Photo by STU FORSTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the Daily Mail, Newcastle ‘sources’ claim Fraser only took part in the session for a short period to ‘test his calf muscle’.
The Newcastle star started against the Faroes last month but Howe’s arrival at Newcastle will have seen his acrimonious exit from Bournemouth return to the fore as his former Cherries boss took charge on Tyneside.
While Fraser and Howe are understood to have patched up their relationship following Fraser’s exit to join Newcastle last year, the winger may well feel he has something to prove to his new manager as the Magpies embark on a new era.
Fraser’s absence will see him miss tomorrow’s crunch clash with Moldova as well as the final World Cup qualifier against Denmark next week as Scotland look to secure second place in their group and a playoff spot.
It will be interesting to see whether there are any long-term repercussions for Fraser’s international career after his withdrawal when Clarke comes to name his next squad.
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