Grant Hanley has pulled out of international duty for Scotland ahead of the UEFA Nations League fixtures, according to Norfolk Live.

The Norwich City defender has been nursing a shoulder injury as of late, which has led to the decision for him to not take part in the side’s upcoming games against Ukraine and Ireland.

Hanley has played nine of the Canaries’ Championship matches so far this season, only missing one due to suspension.

However, a shoulder injury has been hampered by a shoulder injury that he suffered in the team’s recent draw with West Brom last weekend.

He has become the second member of Dean Smith’s squad to pull out of international duty this week. 

Andrew Omobamidele has also been ruled out due a knock received during the clash against the Baggies.

Smith previously confirmed that Hanley required injections to get through the final stages of Saturday’s draw.

The Norwich boss held talks with the Scottish FA over how to best manage the 30-year old, which has now resulted in his pulling out of the national squad.

The Championship side are 2nd in the league table following an impressive seven game unbeaten run.

The Verdict

This isn’t the most encouraging news for Norwich, but it does mean that Hanley has a couple of weeks of recovery time without missing any action for the team.

That makes it ideal timing for this sort of injury, even if he does ultimately still miss out on a few games in October.

Injuries to him and Omobamidele does not bode well for the first game back from the break as it remains unclear as to whether either player will be ready to face Blackpool.

The pair have worked well together at the heart of Smith’s defence, so missing both would be a huge blow to the team.