Glasgow, 16, makes Docherty's Scotland U21 squad
September 16, 2026 12:00
Tony Docherty has named 16-year-old Kyle Glasgow in his first Scotland Under-21 squad. Glasgow, a Rangers player currently on loan at Alloa Athletic, has scored three times in 10 appearances in Scottish League One this season and has featured in a Rangers matchday squad earlier in the campaign.
Docherty, who succeeds Scot Gemmill and will oversee Scotland U21 for the final two European Championship qualifying fixtures, also included seven uncapped players in the squad. The new coach said the SPFL co-operation loan arrangements — which send young Premiership prospects to lower-division clubs for first-team experience — are producing players worthy of international selection.
KEY CONTEXT
Scotland U21 occupy a position where they must win both remaining qualifiers to have any chance of reaching the play-offs. The team host Azerbaijan at Rugby Park on 30 September and travel to Bulgaria on 6 October; they will also depend on results elsewhere, notably the Czech Republic dropping points, to move into the play-off slot. Portugal are on track to qualify automatically for next summer’s finals in Albania and Serbia.
Docherty’s appointment comes amid a broader SFA drive to increase competitive minutes for young players at club level, led by chief football officer Craig Mulholland. The national set-up now includes Belgian Sebastien Pocognoli as head coach of the senior side, with former Hearts manager Steven Naismith joining Docherty’s backroom team.
WHY IT MATTERS
Glasgow’s inclusion underlines the pathway the SFA and Scottish clubs hope to create: young players gaining senior minutes on loan and being rewarded with international recognition. Docherty has made selection performance-driven, signalling that first-team minutes at lower-league clubs can translate into national-team opportunities. The U21s’ late chance of qualification also has implications for seeding in the next campaign’s draws, so results in the two fixtures carry consequences beyond immediate qualification.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
- Whether Glasgow continues to start and score for Alloa and earns playing time in the U21 squad.
- How the seven uncapped players integrate and whether they are given minutes in the coming internationals.
- The results of Scotland’s matches on 30 September (Azerbaijan at Rugby Park) and 6 October (Bulgaria away), and whether the Czech Republic’s results open a route to the play-offs.
KEY FACTS
- Kyle Glasgow is 16, on loan at Alloa Athletic from Rangers, with three goals in 10 league appearances this season.
- Tony Docherty has taken over the U21s from Scot Gemmill for the final two European Championship qualifying matches.
- Scotland must beat Azerbaijan (30 Sept) and Bulgaria (6 Oct) and rely on other results to reach the play-offs.
- Docherty named seven uncapped players, including St Mirren pair Henry Fieldson and Louis Jackson, and Manchester United defender Daniel Armer.
- Manchester United’s Tyler Fletcher, 19, is included after previously joining the senior squad as an injury replacement for the World Cup.