Borders footballer Josh Landers named in Scotland under-19s squad for two friendlies away to Italy
Innerleithen footballer Josh Landers has been named in Scotland’s under-19s squad for two friendlies away to Italy this month.
Head coach Neil MacFarlane’s age-grade national team play their Italian opposite numbers at Campobasso’s Stadio Antonio Molinari on Friday, October 10, and Isernia’s Stadio Mario Lancellotta, both in the Molise region, the following Monday, with kick-offs at 3.30pm and 10am respectively.
West Ham United academy striker Landers, 18, is part of a squad of 23 also including Calum Adamson, Daniel Armer, Aidan Borland, Fletcher Boyd, Ben Brannan, Caelan Cadamarteri, Scott Constable, Tyler Fletcher, Matthew Gillies, Finlay Hale, Alfie Halliwell, Callan Hamill, Sean McArdle, Aiden McGinley, Joseph McGrath, Rydnn McGuire, Evan Mooney, Alfie Osborne, Lewis Stewart, John Tod, Archie Traynor and Rory Whittaker.
The young Scots were last in action in Slovenia last month, with Landers, formerly at Hibernian before making a reported £120,000 move south of the border to London in January, scoring once in a 2-1 loss to Kazakhstan and four times during a 7-1 thumping of the United Arab Emirates three days later.
He’s scored five goals for West Ham’s under-21s so far this season, two during a 4-2 win away to Sunderland at the end of August and a hat-trick to secure a 3-3 draw at home to Brighton and Hove Albion last Friday, his first game for the young Hammers since sustaining a minor hamstring injury during that last international break.
This month’s friendlies are warm-ups for qualifiers for next summer’s European championships starting in November, with MacFarlane’s side sharing a group with England, Lithuania and Latvia.
They play Latvia away on Wednesday, November 12; Lithuania at home the Saturday after that; and England at home on Tuesday, November 18, with venues and kick-off times to be confirmed.