PLAYING for Wolves in the old Third Division down south proved no impediment to Steve Bull representing England.

The hard-working striker was famously called up by his country back in 1989 after helping the Molineux club win promotion to the second tier. He went on to score four goals, including one against Scotland on his debut at Hampden, in 13 international appearances.

Steve Clarke, inset, who squared up to “The Tipton Skin” on several occasions during his playing career with Chelsea and still has the scars to show for it, is clearly keen to see if Lawrence Shankland is capable of emulating his old opponent.

He yesterday named the 24-year-old, who has rattled in no fewer than 15 goals in just 12 appearances for Ladbrokes Championship club Dundee United in the 2019/20 campaign, in his 25 man squad for the Euro 2020 double header against Russia and San Marino next week.

Clarke is well aware that it may well be asking too much of the former Ayr United man to go from facing the likes of Arbroath, East Fife and Morton in half-empty stadiums in his homeland to leading the line against the World Cup quarter-finalists in the 81,000-capacity Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow next Thursday.

Yet, with a dearth of prolific scorers at his disposal, he is keen to work with Shankland in person and judge for himself what he is capable of. If he feels he can cope with the step up in standard then he will have no qualms about pitching him into the Group G match.

“If he deserves to start he’ll start the game,” he said. “I obviously had to look at him. We haven’t got loads of options up front. Steven Naismith is still struggling a little bit with his injury. Matt Phillips is going to get an injection in his foot this weekend which will rule him out for at least 10 days. I just felt it was a chance to put Lawrence in the squad.

“It is very difficult to gauge his level because he is playing in the Scottish Championship. To gauge his level best it was better just to bring him into the squad and have a look at him within the group and see how he handles the step up.

“I could go and watch him in the Championship and I know he is going to look like a really good player and he is going to score goals. If we want to gauge him at a better level we have to bring him into the squad and compare him with our defenders and compare him to other strikers who are named in the squad. I think it’s a win win for everybody.”

Clarke continued: “He is a goalscorer. He gets between the goals, he gets in the six yard box, he scores goals, headers, left foot, right foot, he is a good finisher. He is actually a good footballer. He likes to play quite well - at that level.

“We have to see if he can link the play at a higher level, if he can step up to international football. It is going to be a big question for us, it is going to be a big question for everybody. But, like I said before, let’s have a look I like the way he gets into goalscoring positions. His movement in the box is clever.”

Shankland was repeatedly linked with moves to England last season when he scored 34 goals for Ayr and Clarke, who joined Chelsea from St Mirren, admitted he was surprised when the striker opted to move to Tannadice.

“I thought he would have got a move higher than the Championship with the ability that he’s got and the number of goals that he does score,” he said. “Listen, he has gone to Dundee United and he has done really well. They have got a really good goalscorer on their hands and I’m sure they’re hoping that Lawrence can score the goals that get them promotion back to the Scottish Premiership.”

Shankland has scored five goals in his last two games, but Clarke, who has recalled Oliver Burke, stressed he has been monitoring him for some time.

“He’s been in my mind since the last camp,” he said. “After the two defeats (against Russia and Belgium at home), two sore defeats, everyone goes back to their club and their footballing life and I have to sit and stew on it for two or three weeks.

“I did a lot of thinking about it and Lawrence was someone I thought scores goals and has never really been tested at the highest level, so let’s see.”

Steven Fletcher has been in impressive form up front this term at a far higher level. The 33-times capped 32-year-old has netted five times in nine Championship games for Sheffield Wednesday in England. Clarke, though, revealed he wasn’t considered.

“It is a difficult one with Steven,” he said. “He is in the last year of his contract and he has got some issues with part of his body that he has to maintain and look after. At this moment in time he’s not available for selection.”

Clarke started Oliver McBurnie, the £20 million Sheffield United player, against Russia last month and stressed that he has been encouraged by his performances in the Premier League since.

“I watched Oli play against Liverpool last week and he did really well,” he said. “He upset the two centre backs, he got one good shot away in the first-half, he was very unlucky not to score with a header in the second-half and he caused Liverpool a few problems.

“The longer these boys, and I think we’ve got nine in the squad, are involved in the English Premier League and are playing week in week out against other top players they can only improve. Hopefully we see an ongoing improvement with all these players.”

It was put to Clarke that he should consider Stephen Dobbie, who scored 43 goals for Queen of the South last season, as well.

“Yeah, possibly,” he said. “But Stephen was banging them in last year when I wasn’t here. We need to get into a better position over the next four games so we know what we are going to do in March. Now’s the time to have a look at different things.”