STEVE BRUCE has warned Scotland boss Steve Clarke it would be a “gamble” to take Ryan Fraser to the Euros, and admits the Newcastle United forward desperately needs a full pre-season to properly shake off the injury issues that have plagued him since moving to Tyneside.

Newcastle complete their Premier League programme with a home game against Sheffield United tomorrow evening and a trip to Fulham on Sunday afternoon, but having undergone groin surgery last month, Fraser is not expected to feature in either game.

The 27-year-old has managed just nine Premier League starts since joining the Magpies as a free agent following his departure from Bournemouth last summer, with a succession of injury problems keeping him on the sidelines.

His latest groin problem emerged after he returned from international duty with Scotland at the end of March, and casts doubt over his availability for this summer’s European Championships, which will see the Scots compete in a group with England, Croatia and the Czech Republic.

Clarke lost one forward this week when Sheffield United’s Oli McBurnie admitted defeat in his attempts to regain fitness ahead of the Euros, and the Scotland boss will be keen to select Fraser if there is any prospect of the forward being able to make it on to the field.

Bruce claims that would be a major gamble given Fraser’s lack of involvement for the majority of the season, and is clearly hoping the Scot is not named in the 26-man squad that Clarke will announce before the end of the month.

“It has been a difficult time for Ryan,” said the Newcastle boss, ahead of tomorrow evening’s meeting with the Blades. “Whether he’s going to be picked in the Scotland squad, I don’t know. I would think that would be a gamble given that he’s missed the last six or seven weeks.

“He’s not played any real football or even trained in that period. But with the problems Scotland have, and with being able to pick 26 players, I don’t know. It would certainly be a gamble though.”

In an ideal world, Bruce would like to give Fraser an extended period of rest before the start of a pre-season schedule he feels will be crucial to his chances of making more of an impact next term.

Last summer’s pre-season was effectively squeezed into a three-week spell, which gave anyone carrying a knock precious little chance to recover before the start of the current campaign. This summer’s schedule will be much closer to a ‘traditional’ pre-season, and for all of Newcastle’s injured players, the opportunity to build up their fitness over an extended spell will be crucial.

“Ryan desperately needs a pre-season to get himself right,” said Bruce. “Pre-season is going to be huge for him, in terms of making sure he’s right for next season.

“It’s going to be key to him because he didn’t have a pre-season the season before, and last year’s was a non-entity for everybody really in terms of trying to have a proper pre-season. He’s got a big summer ahead of him, and the same goes for Isaac Hayden and Jamaal Lascelles. All of those people who have been injured with long-term injuries, pre-season is crucial to them.”

In the meantime, Bruce will be focusing on Newcastle’s remaining two matches. On paper, there is precious little to play for, with the Magpies having secured their Premier League survival a couple of weeks ago and realistically unable to finish any higher than 13th, but Bruce is adamant he will not be allowing any sentiment to creep in.

Andy Carroll looks certain to leave this summer, but Bruce will not be throwing the Tynesider on for the sake of it tomorrow, just so he can say a final farewell.

“The one thing I can’t be is sentimental, because I want to win the two games,” he said. “I want to get to 45 points. There’s no room for sentiment at all, not when we’ve got big games coming up that will determine where we finish.”

Newcastle (probable, 5-3-2): Dubravka; Murphy, Krafth, Fernandez, Dummett, Ritchie; Almiron, Shelvey, Willock; Saint-Maximin, Joelinton.