Lawrence Shankland isn’t letting fan jibes about his weight get him down – because he’s been known to give as good as he gets.
The Hearts captain is on his way to link up with Steve Clarke and his Scotland team looking to put a difficult start to the season domestically in the rear view mirror. He’s been no stranger to a bit of abuse from the terraces over the years but it’s perhaps been amplified this season with his team struggling and his own formidable goal record dying down.
The striker copped it big time at Pittodrie on Sunday as Aberdeen supporters let him have it but he’s not about to let it get to him. Shankland admits he’d be in the money if he had £100 for every time someone called him a ‘fat b******’. But as someone who freely admits he likes to give a bit out himself, he says he can only take it in his stride – or on his CHINS, as he made a joke at his own expense.
Shankland told the Edinburgh Evening News: “I get that every week. If I had a hundred quid for every chorus of ‘You fat b*******’ then I wouldn’t be playing football any more. It’s part of football. I dish it out so you need to take it on the chin – or in this case, chins.”
The 29-year-old will be battling it out with Lyndon Dykes and Che Adams to lead the line against Croatia and Portugal, the latter perhaps the favourite after a free-scoring start to the season with Torino. But Shankland says that sort of competition is nothing new.
“That competition has been the case for a long time,” he said. “You just need to go and train well, do what you do. Everybody will have their role when the games start, so you just play your role to the best of your ability. Portugal (away in September) was a positive performance even though we lost the game in the end. I think the boys will be looking forward to playing another two tough games against two top teams.
“We have played good opposition since the Euros. The stakes are so high at a major tournament and we’ve tested ourselves against a lot of top teams. It’s important for the group to gauge ourselves against that. We see the positives of playing those matches.”