WITH only four call offs from an original squad of 27, Craig Brown arrived in Monaco yesterday feeling as if a nice little Christmas present had just arrived late from overseas.

The Scotland manager, however, can hardly be said to be enjoying an embarrassment of riches in advance of tomorrow's World Cup qualifier against Estonia at the Louis II Stadium in Monte Carlo.

The defections of John Spencer of QPR and Hibs' Darren Jackson have reduced his options in attack. Of the four candidates left for the three places he intends to allocate to the front line, two - Ally McCoist of Rangers and Bolton's John McGinlay - are approaching an age which makes them unlikely to be prime contenders for the finals in France in 16 months.

The late withdrawal of the Rangers defender, Alan McLaren, has also deprived Brown of one element of the three man central defence he had planned. McLaren would probably have joined Colin Hendry and Colin Calderwood in that department.

Walter Smith, the Rangers manager, told inquiring pressmen on Saturday night that all four of his internationals had come through the match at Dunfermline unscathed. But McLaren had taken a calf knock which became stiff and swollen with bruising overnight. On examination at the Scots' airport hotel yesterday morning, it was learned that he could not be fit.

McGinlay, who scored the only goal in the precious victory over Sweden at Ibrox last November, would certainly have been given a place in attack alongside Everton's Duncan Ferguson and one other, no matter who may have been available.