Scotland's Aaron Hickey to Miss World Cup Qualifier Due to Injury
Scotland has announced that Aaron Hickey will miss Sunday's World Cup qualifier against Belarus due to injury, prompting the call-up of midfielders Josh Mulligan and Connor Barron.
This marks the first senior call-up for 22-year-old Mulligan, who has made a significant impact since transferring from Dundee to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership this summer.
Connor Barron, 23, from Rangers, has one international cap, having debuted as a substitute during the friendly match against Liechtenstein in June.
Mulligan and Barron will replace Lewis Ferguson of Bologna and Ryan Christie of Bournemouth, both of whom are suspended for Sunday's Group C match after receiving yellow cards in Thursday's 3-1 victory over Greece at Hampden Park.
Brentford's Hickey was forced to leave the pitch after 58 minutes in that match. The Scottish FA confirmed that he “will miss the game after sustaining a knock.”
Head coach Steve Clarke indicated after the game that Hickey was already a doubt to start due to a minor knee issue, which he subsequently aggravated.
Clarke had previously called up Max Johnston from Derby County as a precautionary measure.
Hickey had only recently regained full fitness this season after enduring a two-year battle with a recurring hamstring injury.