BLACKBURN Rovers duo Grant Hanley and Jordan Rhodes have been left out of the Scotland squad for their huge Euro 2016 qualifier against Republic of Ireland.

Tartan Army boss Gordon Strachan yesterday named his 26-man party for the crucial Aviva Stadium clash on June 13 and for the friendly with Qatar at Easter Road on June 5.

But neither Rovers skipper Hanley or striker Rhodes were part of it.

Hanley missed the final 15 matches of the season with a calf injury that proved to be worse than he first feared.

But the 23-year-old returned to training toward the end of the campaign and played 63 minutes for Rovers U21s in their final game of the U21s Premier League season.

Hanley, however, has been omitted from Strachan’s squad for the double header.

So too has his Rovers team-mates Rhodes.

The striker’s 16-month international exile ended in March when he came on as a substitute in Scotland’s wins over Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.

But Rhodes, who finished the season as the joint-second top scorer in the Championship with 21 goals, has not been selected by Strachan.

Instead the former Coventry City, Southampton, Celtic and Middlesbrough manager has chosen Sunderland’s Steven Fletcher, Celtic’s Leigh Griffiths, Everton’s Steven Naismith and Derby County’s Johnny Russell as his four forwards.

Griffiths is recalled to the squad along with his Celtic team-mate Charlie Mulgrew, who has managed just 45 minutes of action in the last five-and-a-half months, Stoke City midfielder Charlie Adam, and Dundee goalkeeper Scott Bain, for whom it is a first senior call-up.

Scotland sit third in their Euro 2016 qualifying group, one point from top spot and two points above Republic of Ireland in fourth.