Scottish Gossip: Scotland, Strachan, McArthur, Edouard, Alves, Commons

FOOTBALL GOSSIP

Scotland coach Gordon Strachan described Friday's 3-0 away win over Lithuania as "the best performance" of his reign. (Scotsman)

James McArthur, who scored Scotland's third, thanked Strachan for keeping him on in the second half in Vilnius and says he was "genuinely worried" he might get substituted at the break after a "very poor" first half. (Sun)

New Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, who has joined on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, is looking forward to facing the French side's new striker Kylian Mbappe - an old childhood friend of Edouard's. (Daily Express)

And Edouard believes Mbappe "deserves" his move to PSG from Monaco. (National - subscription required)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said he did not consider other centre-back targets after failing to bring in Ajax Cape Town defender Rivaldo Coetzee, 20. (Celtic FC - official)

Former Celtic and Scotland forward Kris Commons is nearing a decision on whether to continue his playing career following back surgery. (Scotsman)

Commons left Celtic in the summer and has been linked with a return to Hibernian, where he had a spell on loan

Rangers defender Bruno Alves is struggling with gastroenteritis while on international duty with Portugal. (Herald - subscription required)

Former Rangers manager Walter Smith has revealed he took advice from Billy Connolly on how to deal with Paul Gascoigne's "genius" when the midfielder was at Ibrox in the 1990s. (Daily Mail)

Former Hearts manager Jim Jefferies fears the club's decision not to sell winger Jamie Walker to Rangers could end up costing them, recounting how Hearts once resisted a £1m offer from the Ibrox club for Paul Ritchie and eventually lost the defender to Bolton for just £50,000. (Daily Record)

Scot and former Sunderland manager David Moyes says he would not have taken over at the Stadium of Light if he knew they were going to be put up for sale. (Daily Mail)

Football agent Bill McMurdo says George Best came close to signing for Rangers before he eventually joined Hibernian in 1979. (Daily Record)

OTHER GOSSIP

Olympic gold medallist Katie Archibald says she "never wanted to be an Olympian" and describes herself as "a late starter" in cycling. (Scotsman)