Kirsty Hanson has welcomed the return of veteran Scotland internationalist Hayley Lauder who has been recalled to the international fold.
The Glasgow City midfielder, who has 103 caps, has been in the international wilderness since 2020 but was recalled this week after Christy Grimshaw was forced to withdraw following a weekend injury.
Lauder has never played under Pedro Martinez Losa - her last appearance was in the Pinatar Cup back in March 2020 but could have a role to play against Belgium on Friday night or England on Tuesday at Hampden as Scotland conclude what has been a sobering Nations League campaign.
“She has a lot of experience and it is refreshing to have her in the squad,” said Hanson. “I have trained with her and she is very motivating. She’s a great person to be around because she is always communicating which is great to play with. A lot of the players know her and we are all happy to see her.
“It shows that if you have not been in the squad for a while then you still have a chance to come back in. It is really good for the young players because she is great with them and it is another person they can learn from.
“These players know what it is like to be at a major tournament. They know what it takes to get there and they know how to push the team.”
Scotland currently sit bottom of Group A with just one point from their four Nations League games. To avoid relegation they need to win both remaining matches and still look for a favour to avoid relegation which, on the evidence of the campaign so far, would appear unlikely.
Hanson, though, has insisted that it is all about the mentality as Scotland prepare firstly for Belgium and then for Sarina Wiegman’s World Cup finalists.
“Mentality is a big thing,” she said. “You need to have no doubts and go out there and play to your best abilities and when we do that we are unstoppable. We want to get on the ball and show what we are about.
“I think they have been tough games. We have had a run of games that have been tough and it is about making sure we get the ball in the back of net because these teams, they have one chance and they take it and that is something we have to work on.
“Belgium will be tough. They are a very physical team. We need to stick to our game plan.”
