Scotland assistant manager Mark McGhee says Steven Fletcher can handle the burden of expectation should he be tasked with leading the line against Poland tomorrow.
Sunderland attacker Fletcher has started all but one of Scotland’s qualifying matches for Euro 2016, with a hat-trick against Group D’s bottom side Gibraltar his only goals return.
Fletcher has only netted one further goal, against Iceland in April 2009, in his 23 caps for his country.
McGhee acknowledges other aspects of Fletcher’s play that have made him a first pick under Scotland manager Gordon Strachan but the former Aberdeen forward reckons Fletcher must be prepared to meet the challenge of finding the net more regularly.
McGhee said: “I think as someone who wants to call himself a number nine or the main forward, you have to accept that you will be expected to score goals.
“The manager takes a slightly different view in that he measures the contribution he is making to the team other than just scoring goals. But I think he has to accept that as a number nine for Scotland in his previous games there is an expectation that he has to score goals – and I would have accepted that as a player as well.
“I could talk all day about Gordon being happy with his contribution but someone like Steven Fletcher will measure himself on the goals he scores.”
Fletcher scored in Sunderland’s 2-2 draw against West Ham at the weekend but McGhee says his side cannot look solely to the 28-year-old to find the net should he get the nod for tomorrow’s crucial fixture at Hampden.
Scotland need to avoid defeat against the Poles to keep alive any hope of reaching the Euro 2016 play-offs and McGhee says goals must come from all areas.
McGhee added: “The onus is not just on Steven to score goals. We are a team that needs to score goals.
“We need to have goals from different people to achieve what we are trying to achieve. But what his goal at the weekend does is give him confidence.
“Whether it means is he going to score again is not really the point, the point is his goal gives him confidence and he is more likely to do the job we need him to do better.
“If he also scores then that is a bonus.”